Area News

RICHIE MCDONALD/DEMO DERBY @ COUNTY FAIR For residents young and old, Friday or Saturday night is always a popular time to attend the county fair. With two major attractions this year, Thursday night will be at the top of the list time for many residents to visit the Smith County Fair (The Fair on The…

ORDINANCE HALTS SALE/CONSUMPTION OF LIQUOR ON PUBLIC PROPERTY A highly controversial ordinance which prohibits the sale and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages on city owned property and facilities has been approved on first reading by the Carthage City Council. During Thursday night’s June city council meeting, an ordinance was presented by Councilman Jesse Peters to “…delete…

MAN DROWNS AT DEFEATED CREEK BEACH A Carthage man was the victim of a drowning accident on Cordell Hull Lake this weekend. The victim was identified as 19-year-old Silas Cleghorn. The victim was reportedly swimming with family at the Defeated Creek Recreational Day Use Area beach (commonly referred to as first beach) on Marina Lane…

2 ELMWOOD RESIDENTS SINGLE VEHICLE ACCIDENT VICTIMS Two Elmwood residents were killed in a single vehicle wreck in the Sullivans Bend community over the weekend. The victims were identified as Faith Hickman, 25, Elmwood, and Nicholas Howard, 32, Elmwood. The accident occurred around 3:19 a.m., Sunday, on Sullivans Bend Road. The two were passengers in…

COUNTY PROPERTY TAX DECREASE ON TRACK As the County’s Budget and Finance Committee finalizes its 2021-2022 fiscal year budget, it appears a county property tax decrease is imminent. Exactly how much of a decrease had not been decided as of Friday, but an amount was expected to be determined as soon as this week. The…

COUNTY FAIR NEARING The countdown to the Smith County Fair (The Fair By The River) is on. The event is less than three weeks away. While the fair runs from June 28 through July 3 (carnival rides), fair events begin ahead of the arrival of the carnival. Events associated with the fair will begin as…

BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL FRIDAY/SATURDAY The annual Defeated Creek Bluegrass Festival is this weekend. The event is set for Friday night, June 11 and Saturday night, June 12. Performing Friday night will be Clearview and Billy Wise and Mountain Time. Performing Saturday night will be Avery Trace and Bluegrass Solutions. Performing both nights will be the Evermean…

RIDDLETON RESIDENT VICTIM OF WRECK Hydroplaning is being blamed for a wreck which claimed the life of a Riddleton woman. The two-vehicle wreck occurred around 8:55 a.m., Wednesday, on Dixon Springs Highway/Highway 25. The wreck victim was identified as Linda Tabor, 76, a resident of Rome Road. An eight-year-old child traveling with Tabor was not…

WORK ON CITY POOL DELAYS OPENING Repair work on the city pool in Carthage continues. The pool generally opens around Memorial Day. In February, the city’s council voted to rehabilitate the pool mainly because of excessive leakage. Work on the pool has been delayed because the contractor has had difficulty in locating certain parts needed…

‘NORMAL’ SCHOOL YEAR COULD BEGIN IN AUGUST The 2020-2021 school year came to a close last week. More importantly, it provided a glimpses into how the next school year will begin. All students are likely to return to in-person learning in August for what could be a “normal” school year, after an unimaginable 2020-2021 school…