Area News

SURGE LEADS TO MOST CASES OF COVID/PER MONTH FOR COUNTY Following the worst month for infections in Smith County since the coronavirus pandemic began, COVID-19 cases are trending downward. At 603 cases, September (2021) was the worst month for new COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic which began on the local front in…

ELECTION SEASON ARRIVES EARLY It may be fall 2021, but a busy 2022 election season is already underway. With the first of three major elections more than six months away, political winds are already swirling around the county. Potential candidates are eying plans to run for county, district and other offices. Meanwhile, discussion of who’s…

WRIGHT SMITH COUNTY TRUSTEE CANDIDATE (Submitted by candidate Julie Wright) To All the Residents of Smith County: My name is Julie Wright and I am running for the office of Smith County Trustee. I have been blessed to live in Smith County my whole life. I am the daughter of Horace Hale and Elaine Wright…

MOORE ANNOUNCES SHERIFF’S CANDIDACY (Submitted by candidate Scott Moore) After much consideration and many prayers, I am excited to announce my candidacy for Smith County Sheriff. I am a resident of the Defeated Creek Community and a 1995 graduate of Smith County High School. I am the son of the late Katherine (Kathy) Bland Blair…

SUSPECT HELD WITHOUT BOND AFTER ALTERCATION Over the weekend, multiple sheriff’s department officers responded to a disturbance on Russell Lane which is located in the northern section of the county. Meanwhile, one person is being held in the county jail without bond, charged with multiple offenses as a result of a sheriff’s department investigation into…

ONE VICTIM IN LATEST FATAL ACCIDENT As many as nine people have died on roadways within the county this year, making it one of the deadliest years ever for fatal wrecks. The latest accident occurred on Interstate 40 near the Alexandria Exit in New Middleton and claimed the life of a Nashville area man. The…

SERVICES HELD FOR FORMER ROAD SUPERINTENDENT Funeral services were held Friday for former Road Superintendent Steve Coble. Coble passed away Tuesday (September 14) morning at NHC Healthcare in Springfield after months of medical care following a devastating fall which occurred at his Trousdale Ferry Road home on September 11 of last year. After suffering the…

YOUTH STRUCK BY MOTORCYCLE IN DEFEATED A ten-year-old girl is recovering at home after being involved in a pedestrian accident in the Defeated community. The youth sustained serious injuries after being struck by a motorcycle while attempting to cross Highway 85/Defeated Creek Highway, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. On Wednesday of last week (September…

MARKER HONORS DEFORD BAILEY A gifted harmonica player, DeFord Bailey was, for several decades, the only African American star of the Grand Ole Opry. His playing bridged rural black and white music with unsurpassed artistry. He navigated the era’s racial politics with dignity, and, after twenty years in obscurity, was accorded belated recognition. Born on…

WILLIAM WALTON HARVEST FESTIVAL SET FOR SATURDAY he William Walton Harvest Festival is scheduled for Saturday. The event will take place on the square in Carthage at the historic courthouse beginning at 10 a.m. The annual event features various activities for children and adults, food booths, arts and craft booths and live entertainment. Among the…