NASHVILLE — The first Tennessee young sportsman deer hunt for the 2025-26 season will be held the weekend of Oct. 25-26. Youth ages 6-16 may participate using a gun, muzzleloader, or archery equipment.

Young sportsmen must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult, 21 or older, who must remain in position to take immediate control of the hunting device. The adult must also comply with the fluorescent orange/pink regulations as specified for legal hunters. A single qualifying adult may accompany multiple youth.

Youth ages 6-9 are not required to have a license or hunter’s education certification. Youth ages 10-12 must meet hunter education requirements or have an apprentice license. In addition to the requirements for youth ages 10-12, youth ages 13-15 must have a junior hunting license, and 16-year-olds must have the appropriate licenses. To find all the options for licenses, please refer to the 2025-26 Tennessee Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping Guide.

The first segment of archery season ends on Oct. 24, the day before the opening of the young sportsman hunt. The second segment of archery-only season is Monday, Oct. 27, through Friday, Nov. 7. Following that, muzzleloader season starts Nov. 8. The statewide gun season opens Saturday, Nov. 22, and will continue until Jan. 4, 2026. Finally, the second young sportsman deer hunt is Jan. 10-11, 2026. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency recommends all hunters obtain a 2025-26 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide. The guide lists license requirements, the counties, and bag limits for each of the six deer management units. The guide is available on the TWRA website, the TWRA App, and at locations where hunting and fishing licenses are sold.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is responsible for protecting, managing, and conserving fish and wildlife species for the benefit of Tennesseans and visitors. The Agency also maintains public safety through law enforcement and safety education on waterways.

It seems stores are starting earlier and earlier with their deals and promotions for the holidays. Personally, I do my holiday shopping year-round. Once I see something that reminds me of an individual on my list, I either purchase it at a good price or keep an eye on it to buy at a better price when on sale. I make sure I write it on a list so I do not forget about it, and then store the item until it is time for the holidays; that way I do not feel pressured to buy in a designated time frame. Even with planning, purchasing, and packing ahead of time; there may be items that I forget to budget for holiday expenses.

“One reason it’s hard to budget for the holidays is that there are many expenses we may simply forget about,” says Christopher T. Sneed, UT Extension consumer economics specialist and assistant professor. “The holiday season is busy, and some costs that we wouldn’t normally think about can add up quickly, which means budgeting is even more important. We want to avoid debt, stick to our shopping plan, and enjoy the holidays without derailing our financial goals.”

Sneed has identified several areas that may become costly if they don’t make it into the holiday budget.

Extra Transportation Costs and Meals Out

Hidden expenses associated with holiday shopping may include extra fuel or other transportation costs while going from one shopping site to another or while making out-of-town shopping trips and meals during these trips. If shoppers plan an entire day of shopping, it’s likely they will need to eat at least one meal out. If multiple shopping trips are planned, then these food dollars can quickly add up. To reduce both travel costs and food costs, plan for one to two shopping days and no more. While shopping, purchase a few small gifts, like chocolates or other consumables, for anyone you may have inadvertently left off your shopping list. Reducing trips will limit transportation and food costs but it will also decrease the chances of buying more gifts than necessary.

Holiday Decorations

Holiday décor is another expense that is often forgotten. As more and more elaborate decorating styles become popular each year, the costs associated with decorating for the holidays add up. Sneed suggests adding holiday color to items you already have at home in order to achieve a festive feeling without the expense and trouble of purchasing and storing items that are only used a few weeks of the year. Greenery from around the home, such as pine, cedar, and holly, can also be brought indoors to unify décor both inside and outside and add flair to holiday decorations with minimal or sometimes no cost.

Taxes and Gift Wrap

Be sure to include taxes in budgets for individual gifts. In most areas of Tennessee, the sales tax rate is 9-10 percent, and a good strategy is to always purchase gifts with tag prices adequately under the limits you’ve set to allow for tax. So, if you have $20 budgeted for a gift, the tag price needs to be around $18 in order to stay under budget. Sales tax can quickly add up, tanking your budget without adding any value to your gifts. Paying extra for gift wrapping in the store is also a tempting add-on that can quickly derail a solid gift budget. Purchasing gift wrap after the holidays when it’s on sale for next season’s gifts can reduce costs, as can reusing holiday-themed gift bags. Alternative gift wraps, like reusing newspaper, tissue paper, paper grocery bags turned inside out, or fabric scraps are also popular ways to eliminate the cost of gift wrap and ribbons.

Unexpected or Last-Minute Gifts

Finding a gift last minute for someone inadvertently left off your list can be an expensive hassle, both in terms of time and money. And an invitation to a holiday gift exchange or holiday party where a white elephant gift exchange may occur is easy to forget in the busyness of the season. With all this in mind, it’s a good idea to wrap a few generic items, like books, bath soaps, or restaurant gift cards, as contingency gifts just in case. These items can serve as decoration until they are needed, and if they last through the holidays, unwrap them and celebrate all the decorations being put away.

Extra Groceries and Food

It’s easy to underestimate the amount of baking ingredients, turkey and fixings, and other holiday meal needs can increase your spending. Generally, food expenses for a family can quickly jump 20 percent or more during the holiday season. While extra ingredients or dishes make a meal festive and special, they are often pricey at the supermarket. Food items are also typically overlooked when planning holiday spending. Begin to look at your holiday calendar now and add a couple items to your weekly grocery trip to spread costs out over several weeks. Also watch for sales as grocery stores stock up on popular items, like pumpkin or brown sugar, and purchase when costs are lower.

Through its land-grant mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. utia.tennessee.edu.

Crockpot Roast

3 lb chuck roast

1 package brown gravy mix

1 package Italian seasoning mix

1 package ranch dressing mix

2 cups water

Mix gravy, seasoning, and dressing in 2 cups water and pour over roast.

Cook in Crockpot 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

Submitted by: Dorothy Moyers, Night Owl FCE Club

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) announced that the application period for the 2025 Mid-Season Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Waterfowl Quota Hunt will be open from Oct. 22 through Nov. 12. Applications can be submitted online at gooutdoorstennessee.com, through the TWRA mobile app, at TWRA regional offices, or at any TWRA license agent. Mailed applications will not be accepted, and applicants must be at least 16 years old. Detailed application instructions, WMA locations, and general waterfowl quota hunt information are available on the TWRA Quota Hunts webpage. The deadline to submit applications is Nov. 12 at 11:59 p.m. (CST).

A person may only submit one application, which can include up to 48 unique hunt choices; hunt choices may not be repeated. Qualifying parties must have at least four members, with a maximum of eight.

Successful applicants will receive an email with instructions to log in and must claim their permit by Nov. 24 at 11:59 p.m. CST. Each party member must claim their own permit. Permits will be available to print after they have been claimed. Individuals in the party who fail to claim their permit forfeit their individual permit but may still hunt with a permit holder in attendance at the blind. If no one in a successfully drawn party claims their permit, the party forfeits that site, and the site will be allocated through an in-person leftover drawing.

The leftover drawings will be held on Monday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m. local time. The drawing locations are listed on page 85 of the 2025-26 Tennessee Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping Guide.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is responsible for protecting, managing, and conserving fish and wildlife species for the benefit of Tennesseans and visitors. The Agency also maintains public safety through law enforcement and safety education on waterways.

Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will conduct a closure of State Route 264 (Stonewall Road) in Smith County.

Beginning Tuesday, October 21, until Wednesday, October 22, TDOT Maintenance crews will close State Route 264/Stonewall Highway near Helms Bend Road/Smiths Road to State Route 53/Cookeville Highway. This closure will take place daily from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to allow crews to stabilize the roadway and replace cross drains.

All work is weather-dependent. As always, drivers are reminded to allow additional time, slow down, and move over when traveling through a work zone. The Move Over Law was passed in 2006. The penalty for violating the law in Tennessee includes the possibility of up to 30 days in jail and a maximum fine of $500.

Motorists can report potholes to TDOT by calling the TDOTFIX Hotline at 833-TDOTFIX or using this online form: TDOT Maintenance Request. The TDOT SmartWay Map (https://smartway.tn.gov) provides the latest traffic updates on construction activity. Travelers can also call 511 for travel information.

by Rachel Petty – UT Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development

On Saturday, October 4, 2025, the Smith County 4-H Senior High Forestry Judging Team traveled to the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to compete against six other 4-H Forestry Judging Teams from across the state as part of the University of Tennessee’s Fall Judging Day. Our Smith County team placed 3rd overall!

Our team was made up of Tana Harville, Turner Harville, and Avery O’Brien. In addition to the team’s 3rd place win, Turner Harville placed 4th individually.

During the State 4-H Forestry Judging contest, competitors had to identify trees, insects, diseases, and wood, measure trees, complete a compass and pacing course, and compete as a team in the Forest Evaluation challenge.

Our team qualified to compete at the state level following a 1st Place win at the Central Region 4-H Forestry Judging Contest, which was held at Cedars of Lebanon State Park at the end of August.

Following the competition at the UT Arboretum, we ended the evening with an Awards Banquet on the Ag Campus of the University of Tennessee Knoxville, where we enjoyed a barbecue dinner and received our awards alongside 4-H members from all across Tennessee.

We are so proud of our Smith County 4-H’ers for their hard work and dedication to 4-H Forestry Judging this fall! Special thanks to 4-H Alumni Carson Meeks and former National 4-H Forestry Judging competitors Easton Bibbings, Emmy Bibbings, and Owen Meeks for helping coach our team this season.

For further information relating to Forestry Judging or any other 4-H activities, events, and projects, please contact Rachel Petty at UT-TSU Extension Smith County by calling 615-735-2900 or emailing rpetty@utk.edu.

The second defendant is the case of the death of a Nashville woman has pleaded guilty. Mya Fuller was reported missing in 2022, and weeks later her body was discovered in a remote area of Wilson County. Earlier this year, Taiyana Tipton, 23, of Nashville pleaded guilty to all charges involving the death and was sentenced to life in prison for the murder. Today, the second person charged in the case also pleaded guilty, to a lesser offense.

Ty’Shawne Bowles pleaded guilty to facilitation for especially aggravated kidnapping, a class B felony, and received a sentence of 12 years in the Department of Correction. At the plea hearing, prosecutors outlined how Bowles had learned of an altercation between Fuller and his sister, Tipton. Bowles then searched social media until he found Fuller and invited her to a party that night knowing that his sister planned to assault Fuller. Fuller accepted the invitation to the party, and at the party she was attacked by Tipton and co-defendant La’Myra Pipkins. At the conclusion to the assault, Tipton put Fuller into the trunk of her car and drove away with her. In an interview with the police, Bowles acknowledged inviting Fuller to the party but denied knowing of any plan to kidnap or kill her.

“Sometimes in criminal cases people have different levels of involvement and responsibility,” said Jason Lawson, District Attorney. “Today’s plea reflects the level of involvement that Ty’Shawne Bowles had in this case. He invited her there, and so he has responsibility, but the evidence does not show he intended or participated in her death. Based on the evidence of the case the plea today was entered.”

At the plea hearing, Fuller’s mother spoke and in an emotional statement said that her family did not agree with the sentence of twelve years, but understood prosecutors were doing what they could based on the law. Bowles trial had been set to begin on Monday of this week, but late last week the court was notified that a plea agreement had been reached.

Pipkins remains charged and set for trial in November.

Check out the September 2025 edition of the Smith County Chamber Corner Show!

This month’s show features local businesses, community organization and events going on in and around Smith County.

If you would like to promote your event or local business on the Smith County Chamber Corner Show, contact the Smith County Chamber of Commerce by calling 615-735-2093 today. 

Watch the full show below, or catch it on DTC3 TV.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — State Representative Michael Hale (R-Smithville) has announced that senior centers in Cannon, Smith, and DeKalb counties will receive a combined $104,000 in state grant funding to improve facilities and expand services for older adults.

The grants are part of a $5 million statewide initiative administered by the Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging (DDA) to support 125 senior centers across the state. The funding was approved in the 2025–26 state budget to strengthen emergency and community-based services for Tennessee’s aging population.

Local funding recipients include:

• Cannon County Senior Center: $13,000
• Alexandria Senior Citizens Center: $49,000
• Smith County Senior Citizen Center: $42,000

“These centers play an important role in helping older Tennesseans stay active, connected, and healthy,” said Rep. Hale. “I am proud to support investments that strengthen these community resources and improve quality of life for seniors in our district.”

The DDA awards grants to senior centers across the state each year, with amounts typically ranging between $10,000 and $50,000. Funding can be used for facility maintenance, activities, and equipment purchases to enhance services for Tennessee’s senior citizens.

Rep. Hale represents District 40, which includes Cannon, DeKalb, Jackson, Smith, and part of Wilson counties.

For more information about the Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging, visit their official website.