Area News

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…

By Eddie West Staff Writer The county’s highway department is working to upgrade a bridge in the New Middleton community after it was ordered closed following an inspection by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). Upgrades to the structure began last week and were expected to continue into this week. The bridge was closed on Monday,…

Large pipes stored beside Highway 25/Dixon Springs Highway near the former Riverview Raceway in the Tanglewood community have caught the attention of passing motorists. The pipes will be used as part of East Tennessee Natural Gas’ Ridgeline Expansion Project which will pass through the northern section of the county. East Tennessee Natural Gas is owned…

By Eddie West Staff Writer Most residents tend to wait until the Thanksgiving holiday passes before beginning outdoor Christmas lights and decorations go up. With 60 or so homes to adorn with bright lights, decking the halls begins a little earlier for a local landscaping business. As homeowners  across the county were transforming their yards and…