Area News
Longtime Courier owner passes
It is with regret the Courier announces the passing of longtime newspaper owner Gerrie Lake. Lake and husband Hershel Lake, who passed away in 2014, purchased the Carthage Courier in February of 1976 — a span that now reaches 50-plus years of ownership for the Lake Family of Smith County’s weekly publication. The Lake’s two…
Read MoreSheriffs department executes search warrant; two charged
By Eddie West Staff Writer Guns, drugs and cash were seized and two people charged following a sheriffs department search of a Brush Creek residence. Multiple officers with the sheriffs department converged on a residence located in the 300 block of Brush Creek Circle to execute a search warrant in relation to an individual having guns…
Read MoreEarly voting gets underway for elections
By Eddie West Staff Writer Early voting in all November 3 elections is underway. Early voting began Wednesday, October 14 and continues through Thursday, October 29. Elections include state and federal races, three proposed amendments to the Tennessee Constitution, a special county election to fill vacant county commission seats as well as city elections in…
Read MoreDifficult resident records rainfall for agency before 6 a.m. each day
By Eddie West Staff Writer Each morning most residents reach for their first cup of coffee or favorite fruit juice to begin the day. Difficult resident Jerry Vogt has a somewhat different morning ritual. Before 6 a.m. every day, the former Nashville resident checks a specially designed rain gauge attached to a railing on the…
Read MoreOfficials say billion dollar natural gas pipeline needed with demand
By Eddie West Staff Writer Construction of a proposed $1.3 billion natural gas pipeline which would pass through Smith and nine other Middle Tennessee counties is “market driven”, according to a Houston, Texas based energy development company. Kinder Morgan is proposing the “Southeast Connector Project” which is the construction of a natural gas pipeline which…
Read MoreNew multi-billion dollar natural gas pipeline proposed in county
By Eddie West Staff Writer (The following story pertains to a new proposed natural gas pipeline project which is not to be confused with the Enbridge natural gas pipeline project which is now under construction in the northern section of Smith County. Last week, a separate company, Kinder Morgan, announced a separate natural gas pipeline project…
Read MoreSchool system cutting staff
By Eddie West Staff Writer In an effort to down-size the school system’s budget, staffing cuts have been made. Several paraprofessionals and full-time substitute teacher positions have been eliminated. The cuts in staffing are part of the school system’s overall plan to meet a $35 million budget for the 2026-2027 school year. The $35 million budget…
Read MoreCounty commission races set; Eight candidates in Elmwood, Chestnut Mound race
By Eddie West Staff Writer There wasn’t much interest in this summer’s District 8 (Elmwood/Chestnut Mound) county commission race. No one qualified for the August ballot, leaving three seats vacant on the county legislative body. A few weeks later, it’s a different story. Nine candidates returned qualifying papers to run in a special election to be…
Read MoreTaking a closer look at cuts to school system’s budget
By Eddie West Staff Writer During this summer’s budget hearings, county commission set a spending cap of $35 million for the school system’s proposed 2026-2027 fiscal year budget. In order for the school system to meet the county commission $35 million budget cap, the county’s school board had to make several expenditure reductions to its original…
Read MoreSchool budget gets state attention
By Eddie West Staff Writer The months long debate concerning Smith County’s 2026-2027 school system’s budget has garnered the attention of state education leaders. The county’s budget discussions should be a warning sign for Tennessee lawmakers and the next Tennessee governor, warns a Nashville-based Tennessee education advocate, who is calling for additional funding at the state…
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