Area News

LOSS OF LEARNING ALARMS SCHOOL OFFICIALS School officials continue to be alarmed about the decline in learning for students attending school in-person. High absenteeism due to COVID-19 guarantee protocols is resulting in a significant loss in classroom time for many students. For students attending in-person classes, fewer hours translates into a decline in learning, compared…

RUSH ON TO VOTE EARLY IN ELECTION Interest in the November 3 elections is running high. While county and city elections may often be the biggest draw in Smith County, there is considerable interest in this year’s presidential race. Through Saturday (October 17), 2,424 residents had voted either in person or by absent in three…

HIGHWAY TO REMAIN OPEN, BUT? A Tennessee Department of Transportation rock mitigation project set for a bluff located west of the Tanglewood community on Highway 25 is nearing. The bluff is located just west of the Highway 25 and Highway 80 intersection and on the north side of the state highway. Often the site of…

DR. DUKE ON HALLOWEEN SAFETY (The following was submitted by Dr. Roger Duke head of the Smith County Coronavirus Task Force. Dr. Duke warns residents to follow health safety guidelines when celebrating the holiday.) Halloween is just around the corner! It is traditionally celebrated in Smith County by gathering individuals for events and activities, participating…

TEMPORARY CLOSING OF CLERK’S OFFICE The Smith County Clerk’s office will be closed to public access for two weeks starting (October 11), according to Mayor Jeff Mason. According to Mayor Mason’s Facebook post, the closure is not due to a positive case. Several staff members are  under quarantine protocols due to possible exposure. There is…

BANK ROBBERY SUSPECTS SENTENCED Three people who were charged in the robbery of Citizens Bank’s Highway 25 office in Carthage in September of last year have pled guilty and been sentenced by a federal judge. David Ray Reynolds, 28, Gallatin, and Tiffany Rene Garcia, 27, Gallatin, pled guilty to bank robbery charges and were each…

GHS TEMPORARILY GOES TO REMOTE LEARNING Second Change In Plans This School Year Gordonsville High School transitioned to remote learning, Monday. The school system released a statement over the weekend explaining the move was needed because of “rising COVID-19 cases” and “limited staff availability”. The transition comes as fall break approaches. The first day for…

HALLOWEEN: WHAT’S ON Halloween will be celebrated a little differently for some this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While some parents may choose to alter or cancel their child’s annual trick-or-treating plans because of the pandemic, residents can expect a number of ghosts and goblins both young and old to be out and about…

HOTEL WALTON, OTHER DEVELOPMENTS OPEN ON MAIN STREET To most local residents the downtown hotel in Carthage is referred to as the “Walton Hotel”. Take a closer look skyward at the hotel’s roof top sign. The letters spell out “Hotel Walton”. Sometimes a name can mean everything. The “Walton Hotel” has an everyday vibe, whereas…

COMMISSIONER WRECK VICTIM Funeral services were held Monday for a county commissioner and veteran law enforcement officer who was involved in an off-road vehicle accident. District 8 County Commissioner David Gross, 54, was killed around 12:30 p.m., Wednesday (September 30) when the UTV he was driving overturned in the Sullivans Bend community. According to the…