Check out the January 2024 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.

All Smith County buildings, offices, convenience sites and landfill will remain closed tomorrow Wednesday, January 17th due to frigid temperatures and continued hazardous road conditions.

The Smith County Senior Center will also be closed on Wednesday, January 17th. Additionally, the offices of UCDD and UCHRA will remain closed on Wednesday, January 17th. No public transportation will be provided.

Be sure to call ahead or check relevant Facebook pages for additional closings.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is asking consumers to take special steps to conserve electricity between 6-10 a.m. Wednesday, as the power supplier will be working to meet record power demand amid zero-degree temperatures.

TVA asks customers across the Valley to do the following between 6-10 a.m.:

• Lower your thermostat by two or three degrees, if safe to do so.
• Postpone using large appliances (washer/dryer, stove/oven, dishwasher, etc.).
• Postpone use of hot water.
• Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
• Commercial Business: Turn off any lights and office equipment (or place in sleep mode) when space not in use.
• Commercial Business: Turn off air-conditioning/heating outside of business hours.

TVA has made significant system improvements and expansion since December of 2022, when the agency lacked adequate capacity to meet customer demand and required local power companies to perform rolling blackouts to secure the power grid. It was the first time in the agency’s 90-year history it was unable to meet power demand.

Power demand projections for Wednesday morning exceed what the area experienced in December of 2022, but TVA is better positioned to deliver thanks to its improvements. With some extra help from consumers by taking the suggested actions for conservation Wednesday morning, TVA will be that much better positioned to meet what is expected to be a record peak demand.

TVA’s all-time peak demand record sits at just less than 33,482 megawatts (MW). Wednesday morning’s peak is expected to reach approximately 36,000 MW.

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About Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
The Tennessee Valley Authority is the nation’s largest public power supplier, delivering energy to 10 million people across seven southeastern states. TVA was established 90 years ago to serve this region and the nation by developing innovative solutions to solve complex challenges. TVA’s unique mission focuses on energy, environmental stewardship, and economic development. With one of the largest, most diverse, and cleanest energy systems – including nuclear, hydro, solar, gas, and advanced technologies – TVA is a leader in our nation’s drive toward a clean energy future.

TVA is a corporate agency of the United States, receiving no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation, and land management for the Tennessee River system, and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) continues to strongly urge motorists to stay home. TDOT crews are going on their third day of clearing the roads and due to the prolonged weather event, coupled with the dangerously low temperatures, conditions will remain hazardous for at least the next 24 hours.

Statewide, TDOT has responded to hundreds of incidents today many of them involving more than one vehicle. In the mid-state alone TDOT relocated 275 vehicles. In West Tennessee, 82 drivers have been helped in the last 24 hours, and in East Tennessee more than 200. 

TDOT crews are working around the clock and focused on keeping primary routes, mainly interstates, clear. Crews will target areas vulnerable to freezing, such as hills, curves, ramps, bridges, and interchanges. Please, if you do not need to travel, stay home. We want you, and our crews, to remain safe. 

From your desktop or mobile device, get the latest road conditions and live streaming SmartWay traffic cameras atwww.TNSmartWay.com/Traffic. Travelers can also dial 511 for travel information, or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/myTDOT for statewide travel.

County Mayor, Jeff Mason posted on Facebook earlier today – ” All Smith County buildings, offices, convenience sites and landfill will be closed tomorrow January 16th due to hazardous road conditions and frigid temps.”

Please be advised that, due to inclement weather, the offices of UCDD and UCHRA will remain closed on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Additionally, UCHRA Public Transportation’s Go Routes (the continuous city routes in Algood, Cookeville, Crossville, and McMinnville) will not run Tuesday, Jan. 16.

Please stay tuned to our social media channels and our websites https://ucdd.org/ and https://uchra.org/ for further updates.

We appreciate your help in getting the word out across the Upper Cumberland.

Smith County Agriculture News – Katie Marin, Smith County Extension Agent

Producers who would like to become certified as “Master Producers” will have multiple options for certification over the next few months. We will be holding both Master Beef classes in Smith County and Master Farm Manager classes online. These classes not only teach essential skills, but they also serve as the educational requirement associated with the TN Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) grants.

“Master Beef” is a multi-session course administered through University of Tennessee Extension. To date, over 12,000 producers in TN have been through the course including over 200 from Smith County. These producers have been presented with “Real Life Solutions” related to raising beef cattle with information on topics such as marketing, reproduction, genetics, nutrition, and much more. Our Master Beef classes will start on February 8th and continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the month. The fee for the course is $100. Your fee covers training materials and meals for each of the six nights of the course, as well as a sign and hat at graduation.

The Master Farm Manager Webinar Series will begin on January 30th and include both live zooms and prerecorded sessions. This program focuses on business principles and efficiently utilizing resources on the farm. Topics include everything from budgeting and financial statements to tax planning and farm transition planning. This program applies to all producers whether you are involved with livestock or crops and whether you are a beginning farmer or well-established. You may register online at tiny.utk.edu/MFM2024.

Producers interested in either of these programs can contact the UT Extension office at 615-735-2900 or email me at kclark54@utk.edu for more information or to register.

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is now accepting entries for its 2024-25 photo contest for publication in Tennessee Wildlife’s annual calendar and license cards. All interested photographers are invited to submit up to 10 of their best photos on fishing, hunting, boating, and wildlife species native to Tennessee.

This year’s contest returns to a TWRA traditional August-July format by popular demand. The selected winning entries will appear in the 2024-25 calendar which begins in August 2024. Photographers must submit their photo entries by March 29, 2024.

Photos must be horizontal (landscape), in JPEG format, sized to print no smaller than 8-1/2×11, and resolution should be at least 300 pixels/inch. Visit tnwildlife.org and click the calendar contest button to submit an entry. If a photo is selected for the calendar edition, the photographer will receive a cash stipend of $60.

Tennessee Wildlife is the official magazine for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Subscription rates are $10 for one year, $17 for two years and $25 for three years.

In the heart of our community lies the heartbeat of our future – our schools. I am a passionate advocate for education and I have had the honor of representing District 7 as your School Board Member for the last 3 years. Over the last three years, our school system has been faced with various obstacles where I have advocated publically for our students and teachers. In particular, I fought to get students back into classrooms after we had a better understanding of Covid-19 to mitigate the learning loss and social emotional hardships that was affecting our students. I have pushed to increase the pay for all staff in the school system, including educational assistants, bus drivers, custodians and teachers. In the last 3 years, beginning teachers’ salaries have increased 24% and are finally competitive with surrounding counties. Our bus drivers are now some of the highest paid in the state, and our paraprofessionals have received significant raises each year. In order to attract and retain the best, we need to pay our teachers and support staff accordingly and I will continue to push for more. I believe that all full-time employees deserve insurance, and I will continue to work and push until they get it. I have been appointed Legislative Liaison for our School Board and I am in contact with our current state leaders about new legislation that will affect our children for years to come. In an ever- changing world, it is imperative that our schools prepare students for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I will work tirelessly to promote innovation in education, ensuring that our curriculum remains relevant and equips students with the skills necessary for success in the 21st century.

I am a true believer, and supporter of our public school system. As a Smith County native, I graduated from Smith County High School, I have worked as a Special Education assistant at SCHS, and all my children are graduates of, or currently enrolled in our Smith County Schools. 1 am keenly aware of the needs and expectations of our community for our school system. I have worked for the Smith County Sheriff’s Office for 17 years and am currently serving the citizens of the county as the Lieutenant Deputy over the Courthouse. I graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy as President of my class in 2012. I also spent 33 years competing and teaching martial arts. I won 23 state championships and 2 national championships. I was a member of the 2002, 2003 and 2005 USA National Kickboxing Team, where I won a Silver and Bronze medal in the World Championships. I was

inducted into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2008. I also completed and graduated from the Smith County Leadership Program in 2017.

I have been married to Kristie Glover since 2018. Kristie has worked as an educator in Smith County for 24 years. Currently, she is the Math Specialist for the District and writes and manages the 21CCLC grants for our school system, which provides much needed before and after-school programs free of charge at all nine of our schools in the district.

Randy and Kristie are owners of River Pointe Ranch in South Carthage. We have four children that have all attended, or are still currently attending Smith County Schools. Between the four of them, they keep us busy as they represent, or have represented, Smith County Schools all across the state in a vast array of extracurricular activities including football, baseball, basketball, band, golf, bowling, Robotics Team and 4- H.

I invite you to join me on this journey towards a brighter future for our children. Together, we can build a school system that not only meets the needs of today but also anticipates the challenges of tomorrow. By investing in education, we invest in the prosperity of our community and the limitless potential of our youth

I promise that I will continue to have all the children of Smith County at heart when making any decisions as your School Board Member. I feel that over the last few years I have proven to have complete transparency and am available to all of the citizens in our district. I humbly ask for your support and your vote as the Republican nominee in the upcoming election. Together, let’s continue to support and make our schools the pride of our community and the foundation for a better tomorrow.

Early Voting for the Republican Primary Election will begin February 14, and the Primary Election will be March 5, 2024. Please feel free to contact me about any concerns you may have with the school system.

Cumberland University congratulated students who achieved the Dean’s List during the Fall 2023 semester. This honor is reserved for students who have achieved a GPA of 3.5 or higher on all classes attempted and is compiled at the conclusion of each academic semester. The following students are from Smith County.

Natalie Babin Carthage TN

Alexandra Baccus Gordonsville TN

Jacob Bachert Carthage TN

Kayla Barrett Pleasant Shade TN

Kielie Barrett Pleasant Shade TN

Coralynn Butler Carthage TN

Blake Carpenter Brush Creek TN

Aubrey Croslin Carthage TN

Chana Crouch Gordonsville TN

Harrison Davis Gordonsville TN

Sydney Griffin Brush Creek TN

Raine Hanvy Gordonsville TN

Hailey Hawthorne Gordonsville TN

Kailey Hawthorne Gordonsville TN

Madison Hopper Carthage TN

Bridgett Hunter Gordonsville TN

Madison Hutchinson Brush Creek TN

Olyvia Kemp Carthage TN

Constance Maxwell Pleasant Shade TN

Brooke Russell Pleasant Shade TN

Isabella Taylor Carthage TN

Emily Wills Brush Creek TN

Sarah Young Chestnut Mound TN

Click to see the complete list of Cumberland University students who made the Fall 2023 Deans list.

The Smith County Clerk’s Office of Clifa Norris recently reminded residents that the “Transportation Modernization Act of 2023” passed by State of Tennessee lawmakers has been initiated. This impacts the owners of electric and hybrid vehicles when they register and renew their Smith County tags.

As of January 1st vehicle registrations and renewals for electric vehicles will be subject to $200 plus the Smith County registration/renewal fees. Hybrid vehicles registrations and renewal will be subject to $100 plus the Smith County registration/renewal fees. The fee is only applied at the time of registration or renewal. The additional fee is a result of State legislation passed initially in July 2023 and updated in September 2023. This rate will be adjusted in 2027 to $274 plus the standard county registration/renewal rate. See the State Notice #23-17 for more information.