Area News

By Eddie West Staff Writer Stepping inside the front door to Mikie and Ed Coogan’s home is not an ordinary experience. An eight feet tall snowman, which greets guests just inside the home’s entrance, is the first sign of an out of the ordinary experience which lies ahead. Next to catch the eye are the precisely…

By Eddie West Staff Writer More than 300 new jobs are expected to be created in Smith County with plans to resume local zinc mining operations in the near future, state officials have announced. On October 31, 2023, Nyrstar Middle Tennessee Mines (local zinc mines) enacted a “temporary pause in production” at the local mining facilities…

By Eddie West Staff Writer The school board’s search for a director of schools is underway. The position was posted on the board of education’s website Thursday and is being advertised in the Courier, surrounding county newspapers as well as other outlets. As anticipated, school board members made modifications to a tentative timeline for hiring a…

By Eddie West Staff Writer More than 40 people were indicted during the December session of the Smith County Grand Jury. Of those indicted, over 2o face drug charges. Indictments include: READ MORE IN THIS WEEK’S COURIER

By Eddie West Staff Writer For those looking to celebrate the holiday season there are plenty of local events taking place before Christmas. •The much anticipated Gordonsville and Carthage Christmas parades will be taking place this weekend. The Gordonsville Christmas parade is set for 5 p.m., Saturday, December 6. The parade travels along Main Street. Meanwhile…

By Eddie West Staff Writer Celebrating the most beloved holiday of the year is on the minds of most residents this time of the year. However, a select few are looking ahead to the 2026 election season when a number of full-time county offices, as well as county board of commissioner and school board seats, will…

By Eddie West Staff Writer (An investigation into a shooting incident which occurred in the Stonewall community was ongoing at presstime. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Courier had an early deadline for this week’s edition and only limited information was available at the time. Look for an update to this story as additional information becomes…

By Eddie West Staff Writer The town of Carthage officially has a new mayor. Former Vice Mayor Sam Gray was sworn-in Wednesday (November 12). Gray becomes the third person to hold the Carthage mayoral seat this year. In recent months, Gray has served as vice mayor while Carthage resident Anthony Hackett has served as mayor.  During…

By Eddie West Staff Writer Rehabilitation work on a slide area on state Highway 141/Lancaster Highway in the Lancaster community is moving forward. An embankment located along the Caney Fork River gave way in March of this year near the DeKalb County line during a period of heavy rainfall. When the embankment gave way, a section…

By Eddie West Staff Writer Carthage Vice Mayor Sam Gray was scheduled to be sworn-in as the town’s newest mayor this week. This comes as Mayor Anthony Hackett has resigned the position, noting he was asked to do so by his employer. Former Mayor Hackett announced his resignation at the end of Thursday night’s November city…