The 2025 Miss Teen Fairest of the Fair Pageant was held at the Smith County Fair on Monday night, June 30, 2025.

Thirteen lovely teens participated in the Fairest of the Fair Pageant.

The winner of the 2025 Smith County Miss Teen Fairest of the Fair Pageant was Kiera Rayne Jenkins (center) 1st Runner Up was Bella Follis (left) and 2nd Runner Up was Elie Evitts (right)

Congratulations, ladies!

The Fairest of the Fair Pageants will continue this week at the Smith County Fair. Visit http://smithcountyfairtn.net for a complete schedule of events.

The 2025 Miss Fairest of the Fair Pageant was held at the Smith County Fair on the night of Monday, June 30, 2025

Seven ladies participated in the Miss Fairest of the Fair Pageant.

The winner of the 2025 Smith County Miss Fairest of the Fair Pageant was Riley Whitley (center), 1st Runner Up was Arista Belle Rigsby (right) and 2nd Runner Up was Emery Shoemake (left)

Congratulations, ladies!

The Fairest of the Fair Pageants will continue this week at the Smith County Fair. Visit http://smithcountyfairtn.net for a complete schedule of events.

Kiddo’s Play Center is located at 309 Main Street in Carthage. They recently celebrated with a ribbon cutting provided by the Smith County Chamber of Commerce.

The brand-new indoor playground is designed for kids aged 1-12 years old to explore, laugh, and play in a safe and exciting environment. With soft play areas, ball pits, thrilling slides, foam pits, trampolines, a climbing wall, and interactive play structures, there’s something for every child to enjoy.

Birthday parties and special events can be booked. Additionally you can bring the fun home with bounce/jump rentals that are available for backyard events.

Check out the fun at Kiddo’s Play Center

Hours: 

Monday:          Closed

Tuesday:          9am – 6pm 

Wednesday:   9am – 6pm 

Thursday:        9am – 6pm 

Friday:               9am – 7pm 

Saturday:         9am – 7pm 

Sunday:            9am – 6pm 

For more information call (615) 709-2437 or check out their website https://www.kiddosplaycenter.com/ or visit their Facebook page

U.S. Representative John Rose’s (TN-6) district staff will hold a series of local office hours for constituents to connect directly with caseworkers and receive assistance with federal agencies throughout the month of July.

During the local office hours, district staff will be available to answer questions and assist constituents with federal casework, such as social security and veterans’ benefits, steps for obtaining a passport, and more. Local office hours occur monthly. If you have questions, please contact one of Representative Rose’s offices so a staff member may help you.

“We are ready to assist constituents with federal casework and welcome anyone with questions to sit down with staff,” said Representative Rose. “My goal is to make the expertise of my staff and the resources of this office easily accessible to every person I represent.”

Details for local office hours can be found below and on Representative Rose’s website.

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

TIME: 10:00am-11:00am

WHAT: DeKalb County Local Office Hours
LOCATION: DeKalb County Board of Education, 110 S Public Square, Smithville, TN 37166

WHO: Representative Rose will be represented by Field Representative Lou Nave during this visit.

TIME: 1:00pm-2:00pm

WHAT: Smith County Local Office Hours
LOCATION: Smith Co. Chamber of Commerce, 939 Upper Ferry Rd., Carthage, TN 37030

WHO: Representative Rose will be represented by Field Representative Lou Nave during this visit.

U.S. Representative John Rose is currently serving his fourth term representing Tennessee’s Sixth Congressional District and resides on his family farm in Lancaster with his wife, Chelsea, and their two sons, Guy and Sam. The Sixth District includes Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Van Buren, and White counties as well as portions of Davidson, Scott, Warren, and Wilson counties. Representative Rose is an eighth-generation farmer, small business owner, and attorney.

On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, Smith County 4-H Volunteer Lisa Harville was awarded the 2025 Salute to Excellence Volunteer of the Year Award at the Citizenship Banquet at the 78th Annual Tennessee 4-H Congress. Lisa is an outstanding volunteer, supporter, and asset to the Smith County 4-H program.

Lisa has a servant’s heart and embodies what it means to pledge her hands to larger service through the volunteer work that she does at the local, regional, and state level for Tennessee 4-H.

Lisa is a cheerleader and an advocate for 4-H in the local community, encouraging youth and parents alike to become more engaged and involved. She is quick to credit 4-H involvement for her children’s success. Both of her children have excelled in their 4-H careers, which is a testament to the strong support that they have received at home. Grace is a successful 4-H Agent in Wilson County, and Gabe has served in various local, regional, and state-wide 4-H leadership positions, leading up to him being elected as the 2024-2025 Tennessee 4-H State Council President.

Beyond being an incredible 4-H parent and program volunteer, Lisa is always willing to step up and serve in roles where she can use her knowledge, experience, and innovative ideas to contribute to the success of the Smith County Extension Office and Tennessee Extension as a whole. Lisa has been an active member of the Smith County Ag Committee, Smith County 4-H Advisory Committee, 4-H VOLS State Committee, 4-H Strategic Plan Committee for Volunteerism, Smith County FCE County Council, and the UT-TSU Extension Advisory Council for FCS. Lisa also frequently pursues leadership trainings and attends conferences to improve herself and learn all that she can.

On a personal note, when I think about Lisa’s impact on our program today, I can’t help but think about how instrumental she was in helping me personally get settled in as a new 4-H Agent. From day one Lisa was there to support me, from showing me the ropes at events I had never been to like 4-H Congress or 4-H Round-Up, making sure I was aware of rules and regulations, keeping me on track with friendly reminders about upcoming deadlines, to sharing sweet words of encouragement that I was doing a good job when I needed to hear it most! Lisa was someone I could laugh with and celebrate my successes or lament my struggles in equal measure as I got the hang of a challenging new role in a thriving program. I would not be the 4-H Agent I am today without her guidance.

Lisa always goes above and beyond to support anything we have going on in Smith County 4-H. I am blessed to call her one of my outstanding volunteers as well as a true friend.

Lisa provides support to 4-H’ers, professionals, and other volunteers as well, often serving as an encouraging voice that makes everyone feel appreciated. Her passion, poise, sincerity, and willingness to lend a hand is evident in everything that she does, and there is no doubt that Smith County and Tennessee 4-H is better thanks to her involvement and influence.

Please join us in celebrating and congratulating Lisa for receiving this award! We can’t think of anyone more deserving.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer for the Smith County 4-H program, please contact the Smith County Extension Office at 615-735-2900 or email rpetty@utk.edu.

On Thursday, June 19, 2025, the River City Ball CommiVee donated $40,000 to this year’s beneficiary, Smith County Rescue Squad, at their headquarters which was made possible by the funds raised for the 2025 River City Ball.

The River City Ball presented by Caney Fork Farms and Hotel Walton was held on May 10, 2025 at Catesa Farms. This is the fourth year the event has been held at Catesa Farms, and the event con/nues to grow. Over 350 people aVended the event in “A Royal Affair” theme adre to raise funds for the beneficiary.

River City Ball was created to benefit local non-profits working to improve the quality of life in Smith County. Each year the River City Ball benefits a local organiza/on chosen through an applica/on process and provides a $1,000 scholarship to two gradua/ng seniors in Smith County.

This year the committee decided to give the funds raised through the Golden Ticket sales during the event to a second beneficiary, chosen from the original applicants and announced the night of the event. The committee chose Justified Riding Club and was able to donate $4,500 to this organization. Justified Riding Club is a group of men and women who ride together, pray together and work to help surrounding communities as much as possible through prayer, fundraising, hands-on help and more.

This year’s primary beneficiary was the Smith County Rescue Squad. For over 50 years, the Smith County Rescue Squad has provided volunteer emergency services in the areas of Vehicle Extrication, Technical Rope Rescue, Water Rescue, and Search & Rescue to the residents of Smith County as well as those passing through. They have provided disaster response, both home and abroad throughout their history. Being volunteer, they do not have personnel that are paid or on duty. When a call comes in, these volunteers respond from home, work or wherever they might be to help those in need.

Carthage Family Chiropractic generously supported the scholarship allowing us to present two $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors. Applicants for the scholarship complete an essay discussing the importance of the River City Ball and the organization being sponsored. The applications are submitted to the committee without names and scored based on length and content. Scholarships were presented to Gabe Harville and Mia Cook, both Smith County High School Seniors.

River City Ball greatly appreciates all the sponsors that went into making this event possible. Please make sure to follow the event on Facebook and Instagram for the most up to date information. If you are interested in applying to be a sponsor or the cause for 2026, please reach out to the committee through social media or at rivercityball@outlook.com Planning for the 2026 River City Ball will begin in August and the 2026 event will be held May 9 at Catesa Farms

Highpoint Health – Riverview with Ascension Saint Thomas published its community benefit report for the 2024 calendar year. This annual report outlines the various ways the hospital is working to support the health and economic vitality of Smith County as part of its mission of making communities healthier®.

Highpoint Health – Riverview’s 2024 community benefit report highlights its continued efforts to meet the growing healthcare needs of its community through welcoming new providers, adding and expanding service lines and continually investing in its facilities and healthcare technology. For example, in 2024, Highpoint Health – Riverview added 41 providers in family medicine, psychiatry, emergency medicine, orthopedics, wound care and more. Additionally, the hospital invested more than $540,000 in capital improvements, including an updated ultrasound machine and updated security equipment for the maternity ward.

Additionally, Highpoint Health – Riverview made a donation of nearly $8.3 million in health services to those in need, demonstrating its continuous commitment to ensuring everyone has access to care, regardless of their ability to pay.

“We feel fortunate to call Smith County our home, and we are incredibly grateful for the continued support of all those who entrust us with their care. We are also thankful for the hard work and dedication of our providers, employees and volunteers who make it all possible, “said Cole Stockton, CEO, Highpoint Health – Riverview and Highpoint Health – Trousdale. “As we look ahead to the future, we remain committed to honoring our legacy while further enhancing the many ways we serve our neighbors and communities.”

Highpoint Health – Riverview is also devoted to creating environments where providers want to practice and employees want to work. In 2024, the hospital distributed more than $14 million in salaries, wages and benefits for its approximately 210 employees, while contributing $11,000 in professional development and tuition assistance so all its employees can have the opportunity to learn, grow and improve the care they provide their patients.

Last year, the organization paid $1,249,575 in local and state taxes, while also continuing its support of local activities and organizations committed to serving the region, including Carthage Rotary, Pregnancy Resource Center of Smith County, Sports Physicals for K-12 grade, Smith County Schools Football Scoreboard, Emmanuel House and more.

Highpoint Health – Riverview’s 2024 community benefit report is available here. https://www.highpointhealthsystem.com/cbr

About Highpoint Health with Ascension Saint Thomas –

Highpoint Health is a regional health system dedicated to making communities healthier in Middle Tennessee. It is composed of Highpoint Health – Sumner, a 167-bed hospital in Gallatin; the Highpoint Health – Sumner Station campus in Gallatin; Highpoint Health – Riverview, a 35-bed critical access hospital in Carthage; Highpoint Health – Trousdale, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Hartsville; and in March 2025, Highpoint Health – Winchester and Sewanee (jointly 198 acute and skilled care beds) joined the system as well. Highpoint Health is operated as part of a joint venture between Lifepoint Health and Ascension Saint Thomas. This collaboration brings together the organizations’ clinical excellence, best practices, and talented caregivers to collaborate in new ways that improve access to high quality clinical programs and specialty care for patients and communities. To learn more, visit HighpointHealthSystem.com.

The Tennessee Department of Health is joining tnAchieves, a partner organization of TN Promise, to announce today the creation of an academic scholarship program devoted to building Tennessee’s future public health workforce.
The Public Health Academic Bridge Scholars Program will make $5,000 scholarships available annually to 20 students in Tennessee who successfully obtain an associate’s degree and transfer to a four-year university to pursue a health-related bachelor’s degree.

“Building opportunities for tomorrow’s public health professionals is instrumental to the healthcare needs of all Tennesseans,” FACP, said. “The scholarships available in this program builds on the opportunities of TN Promise toward more students successfully completing four years of university study.” The Public Health Academic Bridge Scholars Program is designed to assist students interested in public health who have demonstrated academic excellence and earned an associate’s
degree. The program will support these students as they successfully transition to an in-state university to further their education and earn a bachelor’s degree.

TDH and tnAchieves have selected the first group of 20 students for the scholarship program this year. The scholars will each participate in a total of seven hours of direct engagement with TDH, in-person and virtually, this summer. The engagements will provide students with valuable information about the career opportunities available to them in the field of public health.

“This is an incredible opportunity for students seeking careers in public health to help them transition from community colleges to universities,” tnAchieves President & CEO Krissy Dealejandro said. “We are grateful to join with the Tennessee Department of Health to give students opportunities to access the education and training they need to work in high-wage, indemand health fields across Tennessee.”

The Public Health Academic Bridge Scholars Program is a joint effort of TDH and tnAchieves. Previously, TDH has provided job shadowing experiences and dozens of volunteer mentors to support tnAchieves students attending college and transitioning into careers. TDH is providing the funding for the scholars program through a Public Health Infrastructure Grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

tnAchieves is a 501(c)3 with the mission to enhance post-secondary opportunities and outcomes by providing holistic student supports rooted in community and accountability. More at www.tnachieves.org.

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and well-being of all people in Tennessee. Learn more about TDH services and programs at www.tn.gov/health.

An Arkansas man has been sentenced to serve three years in prison for smuggling drugs into the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center. On June 20, Judge Brody Kane handed down the sentence to Kyle Buss, 33, after a three-hour sentencing hearing. Buss had been caught attempting to smuggle fentanyl, tobacco, and methamphetamine into Trousdale Turner on August 21, 2022. The crime of Introduction of Contraband Into A Penal Facility is a class D felony in Tennessee, carrying a sentence between two and four years.

At the sentencing hearing, District Attorney Jason Lawson called the pre-sentence investigation officer, the arresting officer from the Trousdale County Sheriff’s Office, and the Officer at Trousdale Turner who detected the smuggling activity. The State introduced pictures of the drugs intercepted, as well as a still frame photograph of Buss removing the drugs from his pants. Buss had taped the drugs inside his pants to attempt to get through security checkpoints as he came on shift.

Buss claimed that he believed the package only contained tobacco, and claimed he did not have knowledge of the fentanyl or methamphetamine. District Attorney Lawson argued that he had knowledge that he was smuggling items into the prison which were prohibited, and it mattered not whether he knew exactly what those items were. Judge Kane agreed. Buss also claimed that he has a lower IQ and was taken advantage of by those who solicited him to smuggle the packages into the jail. Judge Kane found that Buss had sufficient knowledge to package the drugs on his body in an attempt to conceal their detection, and that IQ was not a sufficient excuse for the commission of the crime.

“The message is that if you wish to smuggle drugs into the prison, you are going to find yourself behind bars serving your own sentence,” said DA Lawson.

Each year, roughly a half dozen prison employees are indicted for bringing drugs or cellular telephones into the prison. Other employees are also indicted for knowingly

permitting inmates to use contraband cellular telephones, regardless of whether that employee smuggled the phone into the facility.

“People sometimes ask the question of when some of the guards will be indicted for their activities. The fact of the matter is that everyone caught is charged and prosecuted,” said Lawson. “Any person who we can prove plays a knowing part in the criminal activity occurring at the prison should be on notice that they are subject to being arrested and prosecuted.”

In June, the Trousdale County Grand Jury indicted 41 people for crimes occurring at the prison. Of that 41, twelve were the first group of Indictments related to the June prison riot, and one Indictment was for a prison guard caught smuggling drugs into Trousdale Turner.

COSBY, Tenn. — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) concluded its spring trout stocking in Cosby Creek on Monday, June 23, 2025, with the support and presence of Tennessee State Representative Jeremy Faison.

This trout stocking is part of TWRA’s annual statewide efforts to maintain healthy fish populations and provide quality recreational fishing opportunities. However, Monday’s event also served as a visible reminder of TWRA’s ongoing commitment to supporting the health and resilience of waterways impacted by Hurricane Helene.

“I couldn’t be more thankful for the TWRA’s incredible efforts,” said Rep. Faison. “By stocking trout in Cosby Creek and other cold-water streams, they’re making a tremendous impact on children, anglers, and our local economy.”

Last month, TWRA stocked 10,000 Walleye into the Pigeon River—a proactive measure in response to concerns about potential storm-related effects on aquatic ecosystems.

“Along with Rep. Faison, we understand the public’s concern about the effects of recent flooding on river ecosystems,” said TWRA Chief of Fisheries Jason Henegar. “Surveys of Helene-affected areas show minimal impact on fish populations so far. But as part of our commitment to sound fisheries management, we proceeded with both last month’s Walleye and today’s trout stocking to support natural reproduction and improve angler success.”

TWRA Regional Fisheries Program Manager Jim Habera added, “Post-flood water quality assessments conducted by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) did not reveal any issues, and no new fish consumption advisories have been issued. A more comprehensive evaluation of fish populations in these streams is underway and will be available later in 2025.”

TWRA typically halts trout stocking in many locations as water temperatures rise during the summer months, since warmer conditions can negatively impact trout survival. While spring stocking is winding down, anglers can still find opportunities to fish for wild trout—particularly in cooler, high-elevation streams throughout the mountains.

TWRA stocks more than 500,000 trout annually at over 80 locations statewide and releases more than 10 million warm- and cold-water fish each year into Tennessee’s rivers, lakes, and streams. These efforts enhance native fish populations, maintain ecosystem balance, and support Tennessee’s vibrant recreational fishing industry.

TWRA warm-water fish stocking information may be found here and cold-water fish stocking information may be found here.

—TWRA—

Image 1: Tennessee State Representative Jeremy Faison releases Rainbow Trout into Cosby Creek on Monday as part of TWRA’s spring trout stocking program. The event also underscored TWRA’s ongoing commitment to restoring and protecting waterways affected by Hurricane Helene.

Image 2: Buffalo Springs Hatchery Manager Roger Bitz (left) looks on as Wildlife Technician Devin Hevener (top) places Rainbow Trout into a bucket held by Tennessee State Representative Jeremy Faison (right), who assisted with stocking Cosby Creek during TWRA’s spring trout stocking program. The event also highlighted TWRA’s ongoing commitment to restoring and protecting waterways impacted by Hurricane Helene.