Rachel Bell (3) drives through a Union doubleteam. (photo by Anne Raymer)

LeaLea Carter (30) rises for a shot against Union. (photo by Anne Raymer)

Vanderbilt’s five freshmen combined for 51 points in a 93-43 exhibition win over Union University Sunday at Memorial Gym. Former Lady Cougar LeaLea Carter contributed three of those as the first points scored in her collegiate career. Junior Rachel Bell from Creek Wood was one of four Commodores in double figures as she scored 10. Bell and Carter again started in the four-guard lineup put on the floor by new coach Stephanie White. The up-tempo offense saw Vanderbilt outscore Union 59-20 in the second and third quarters to put the game away. Freshman Erin Whalen off the bench led the Commodores with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Bell was 2-7 from the floor, hitting 2 of 4 three-pointers, and sinking all 4 free throws for 10 points in 16 minutes. She added 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot. Carter was 1-3 from the floor, missing her only three-point attempt, and sank 1 of 4 foul shots for 3 points in 16 minutes. She had 3 rebounds, all at the offensive end. After runaway wins in both exhibition games, Vanderbilt opens the regular season hosting Kennesaw State at Memorial Gym Friday at 7 pm.

Joe Hall is sworn in as an assistant district attorney flanked by DA Ray Crouch Jr. and his wife, Christine Hall.

Dickson attorney Joe Hall was sworn in as a new assistant district attorney for the 23^rd Judicial District Friday. Hall joined the staff of District Attorney Ray Crouch Jr. Nov. 1 and will handle prosecutions from the 23^rd Judicial District Drug Task Force. Hall replaces Assistant District Attorney David Wyatt as drug prosecutor after Wyatt transferred to handling prosecutions in Cheatham County courts following the retirement of ADA Bob Wilson after 31 years. Because Hall previously represented a defendant from Operation Pop Smoke while in private practice, Crouch said he will not be involved in any prosecutions related to the 100 defendants named in what is locally called the Century Indictment. Wyatt will continue to prosecute the remaining cases once it is determined who will preside over them. Retired Judge Robert Burch was appointed special judge in April by the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts to preside over the cases from Operation Pop Smoke because of the district’s caseload and Judge David Wolfe recusing himself due to a potential conflict. But Burch’s sudden death Oct. 28 means either remaining judges Suzanne Lockert-Mash or Larry Wallace will have to take over the cases or ask the AOC to appoint another special judge. Hall attended Tennessee Tech and the University of Tennessee at Martin, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology. He formerly worked as an agent with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. He earned his law degree from the Nashville School of Law and was in private practice in Dickson. Hall finished third in a five-candidate race for Dickson County General Sessions Court judge in 2014. Flanked by his wife, Chrstine, and Crouch, Hall took the oath of office to become an assistant district attorney from Judge Larry Wallace in a ceremony in Dickson County Circuit Court Friday.

Robert Edward Huse

Testimony about a previous incident in which a child suffered a head injury is at the center of motions to clarify what the jury will hear when Robert Edward Huse stands trial on murder and child abuse charges next year. In a motions hearing in Dickson County Circuit Court Friday, Public Defender Jake Lockert asked Judge Larry Wallace to clarify what evidence will be allowed under the judge’s February ruling that testimony about a 2008 incident will be allowed in Huse’s trial for the 2012 death of a different child. In September 2015, Lockert argued that evidence connected to the 2008 incident in which a five-month-old child of Huse and a different mother suffered a skull fracture and brain bleed should be excluded at his trial under the “prior bad acts” provision. District Attorney Ray Crouch Jr. argued the evidence should be allowed at the trial for the 2012 death of two-month-old Grayson Michael because the similarities show a pattern of violent behavior by Huse. In a ruling filed Feb. 23, Wallace agreed to allow testimony about the 2008 incident but at Friday’s hearing Lockert asked the judge to clarify what the prior bad act committed by Huse is and what modus operandi of the two events are similar. He asked the judge to establish how the first child was injured. In the previous hearing, Lockert argued 33-year-old Huse was not convicted of harming the first child, but pleaded guilty to accessory to child abuse after the fact and was placed on probation for one year. The child’s mother pleaded guilty to child abuse by failure to protect and was on probation for three years. Crouch said the judge has previously addressed the admissibility of the evidence because Huse is the biological father of both children, at one time denied being the parent of both children, both children were in his care when they were taken to the hospital, Huse gave identical stories to investigators and both children suffered fractured occipital bones in the back of their heads and “massive” subdural hematomas. The five-month-old boy injured in 2008 recovered and custody eventually was returned to Huse. The two-month-old injured in 2012 died. Huse is charged with felony murder and aggravated child abuse. Lockert first asked the charges against Huse be dismissed for violating his right to a speedy trial. He also said witnesses from the 2008 incident are having trouble remembering the events. Crouch said police did not receive the medical examiner’s report on the 2012 death until January 2013, then the trial was delayed when Judge Robert Burch retired in 2014 and Judge David Wolfe was elected, which created a conflict in which Wolfe had to recuse himself. He pointed out the defense twice asked for a continuance and there have been multiple hearings on pretrial motions. Wallace agreed there were “a lot of valid reasons” for the delay in getting to trial and denied the motion to dismiss. Lockert said he will not present evidence suggesting Grayson’s injuries were the result of an accident and is not challenging that the child was in Huse’s care when he stopped breathing and Huse called 911. He said he expects medical testimony to be the child’s injuries were consistent with his head being slammed against a wall and the defense will not contest the injuries were intentional. But with the child having been hospitalized for four days prior to his death, it will be up to the prosecution to prove when the injuries were inflicted and by whom. Wallace took Lockert’s motions to clarify under advisement and said he will rule within 30 days. Lockert and Crouch agreed that family and supporters of the child’s mother will be asked not to wear or to cover up #JusticeforGrayson t-shirts while in the courtroom and that Brittany Sanders will not wear the t-shirt while testifying. Lockert also agreed not to wear a tie with the words “not guilty” during the trial. Wallace said he expects both sides not to file any more motions before the Feb. 6 trial unless new circumstances arise. Wallace scheduled a hearing for Nov. 18 on a request by a Nashville television station to have a camera in the courtroom during the trial. Wallace denied a request from WSMV reporter Nancy Ammons to allow a camera during Friday’s motion hearing. The defense and prosecution objected to a camera out of concern that confidential images and information could be broadcast and video of the hearing could taint the potential jury pool or make the defendant appear “nervous and apprehensive in front of the jury.” Huse remains in custody on $500,000 bond pending his trial now set for Feb. 6.

It’s election day across the country and polls in Dickson County will be open 7 am-7 pm. Voting will be held in 17 precincts across the county in the same locations as the county general and primary elections. The August election was the first time for the 5^th District polling place to be the Bibb-White Bluff Civic Center at 1054 Old Charlotte Rd. It had previously been at the White Bluff Fire Department. Residents can find their polling place under “precinct” and address under “voting location” on their voter registration cards. Voters will need their voter registration card and a valid photo identification, such as a Tennessee driver’s license, U.S. passport, photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, U.S. military photo ID, Tennessee handgun carry permit with photo or any photo ID issued by the federal or Tennessee government. College student IDs, identifications issued by any other state or IDs issued by a county or city such as a library card or employee ID will not be accepted. After Tennessee and Dickson County saw a record turnout for early and absentee voting, election officials expect there to be lines at the polling places throughout the day. Polls will remain open until everyone in line at 7 pm has cast a ballot. The ballot in Dickson County contains the races for President, U.S. House of Representatives in the 5^th District and Tennessee House of Representatives in the 69^th or 78^th district. White Bluff, Burns, Vanleer and Slayden are holding municipal elections and Charlotte is having a liquor-by-the-drink referendum. For questions about polling places or voter registration, call the Dickson County Election Office at 615-671-1146. WDKN and The One FM 101.5 will have live election coverage starting at 7 pm with results direct from the Dickson County Election Office.

Dickson County Voting Precincts

District 1 Precinct 1 – Collier House on the Courthouse Square in Charlotte

District 1 Precinct 2 – Sylvia Baptist Church, 1415 Old Sylvia Rd.

District 2 Precinct 1 – Eno Community Center, 800 Eno Rd.

District 2 Precinct 2 – Tennessee City Volunteer Fire Department, 4605 Highway 70 W.

District 3 Precinct 1 – Calvary Chapel, 1546 Yellow Creek Rd.

District 3 Precinct 2 – Vanleer Town Hall, 4455 Highway 49 West

District 4 Precinct 1 – Jackson Chapel Community Center, Bowker Road at Highway 49

District 5 Precinct 1 – Bibb-White Bluff Civic Center, 1054 Old Charlotte Rd.

District 6 Precinct 1 – Burns Church of Christ, 2718 Church St.

District 6 Precinct 2 – Porter Community Center, 1600 Abiff Rd.

District 7 Precinct 1 – Pomona Baptist Church, 974 Pomona Rd.

District 8 Precinct 1 – Dickson Senior Citizens Center, 206 West Walnut St.

District 9 Precinct 1 – Restoration Church, 505 Henslee Dr.

District 10 Precinct 1 – First Baptist Church of Dickson, 2501 Highway 70 W.

District 11 Precinct 1 – Tennsco Community Center, 115 Tennsco Dr.

District 12 Precinct 1 – White Bluff Community Center, 4365 Highway 70 E.

District 12 Precinct 2 – Greater Things Baptist Church, 2612 White Bluff R.

Dickson County Election Office

110-A Academy Street

Charlotte, TN 37036

615-671-1146

Dicksoncountyelection.com

The incumbents won in the only two challenged races in local municipal elections and Charlotte voters approved liquor by the drink. Burns Mayor Landon Mathis won his third two-year term by holding off challenger Stephen R. Cathey 273-203, for 57.3 percent. Stephanie Murrell and Dan Clark won their second four-year terms on the White Bluff Town Council by topping a four-candidate field. Murrell received 667 votes and Clark got 576 to retain their seats. John Edward Bennett was third with 354 and Jason Foriest fourth at 293. After passing retail liquor sales in 2012, Charlotte voters approved a liquor-by-the-drink referendum Tuesday. There were 289 votes for the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises and 202 against. Once the Charlotte Town Council completes the regulations, qualifying restaurants will be able to apply to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a mixed-drink license. The remaining municipal races in White Bluff, Burns, Vanleer and Slayden were not challenged. White Bluff Mayor Linda Hayes won a third four-year term with 1,048 votes. There were only three candidates for the four seats on the Burns Board of Commissioners. Incumbent Ed “Shot” Grove received 312 votes, incumbent Valton Potter, who was appointed to complete the term of Stephen Hayes, got 320, and challenger Wayne Lomax received 306. Incumbent Jerry Perella won a second two-year term as a write-in candidate with six votes. Jason Weaver will become the new mayor of Vanleer after receiving 136 votes. Weaver has presided over meetings as vice mayor while the mayor’s office was vacant for the last two years. Winning two-year terms to the five-member Vanleer Board of Aldermen are Chris Farmer with 108 votes, Elizabeth Gilmore with 116, incumbent Dwight McIllwain with 106, incumbent Ruben Schmittou with 117 and Ty Weaver with 110. Wayne White will succeed Gary Hodges as mayor of Vanleer with 47 votes. Incumbents Mary Smathers, with 46 votes, and Deborah L. Smith, with 41 votes, won two-year terms on the Slayden Town Council. They will fill the vacant third position after beginning their new terms.

Michael Curcio

Rep. Mary Littleton

Dickson businessman Michael Curcio will become the new member of the Tennessee House of Representatives in the 69^th District, replacing David Shepard who retired after 16 years. A Republican, Curcio handily won the seat he narrowly lost to Shepard by 16 votes in his first run two years ago. Curcio carried 67.8 percent of the unofficial vote in Dickson County over Democrat Dustin Evans, a deputy with the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office. According to the Dickson County Election Office, Curcio received 5,419 votes to 2,572 for Evans. The results of Tuesday’s election are unofficial until certified by the Dickson County Election Commission on Nov. 15. The 69^th District includes the western half of Dickson County, all of Hickman County and a portion of Maury County. As he did two years ago, Curcio saw his strongest performance in Hickman County where he received almost 73 percent of the vote, 5,387, to 1,996 for Evans. Curcio received 54.2 percent of the vote in Maury County, beating Evans 3,329-2,813. Unofficially across the 69^th District, Curcio received 14,135 votes to 7,381 for Evans, taking 65.7 percent of the overall vote. Incumbent Mary Littleton easily won re-election to a third two-year term in the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 78^th District by beating Democratic challenger Travis Staten. The 78^th District includes the eastern half of Dickson County and all of Cheatham County. A Republican from Dickson, Littleton took 74 percent of the district vote in beating Staten 18,675-6,538. Littleton took 73.6 percent of the vote in Dickson County 11,269-4041, and 74.8 percent of the vote in Cheatham County, 7,406-2,497. A local bondsman and bounty hunter, Staten’s only previous run for office was an unsuccessful campaign for constable. Combined with Kerry Roberts as senator for the 25^th District, Curcio’s victory means Dickson County’s legislative delegation will be all Republican for the first time in more than a century. In the race for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 5^th District, Republican Stacey Ries Snyder carried Dickson and Cheatham counties with 63 percent of the vote, but Nashville Democrat Jim Cooper, a 26-year incumbent, took 65 percent of the Davidson County vote to retain his seat 156,750-94,678. After seeing early voting break a record for turnout at 11,388, approximately 7,304 Dickson County residents went to the polls Tuesday, for a total election turnout of 62.1 percent. The 18,692 ballots cast in the race for President fell short of the record of 19,519 set in 2008. Republican Donald Trump won Dickson County with 70 percent of the vote, 13,277 to 4,722 for Hillary Clinton, in taking Tennessee.

JeQuan Lewis applies defensive pressure in an exhibition game against Queens University. (photo courtesy VCU)

Dickson County High School graduate JeQuan Lewis enters his senior season at Virginia Commonwealth University as a preseason All-Defensive team and third team All-Conference pick for the Atlantic 10. It is the first time Lewis has appeared on an A10 team selected by the conference’s coaches. In their second campaign under Nashville native Will Wade, the Rams open the regular season Friday hosting UNC-Asheville at 6 pm in Richmond. VCU is hoping for a better outcome than with its last visitor from North Carolina. Division II’s Queens University of Charlotte stole a last-second 75-73 victory in an exhibition game Friday. Starting at point guard, Lewis had a game-high 24 points in the loss to the Royals. He hit 7 of 15 shots, including 6 of 10 three-pointers, and was perfect in 4 trips to the foul line. In a team-high 31 minutes, Lewis added 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. Justin Tillman had 15 points and 9 boards off the bench while Mo Alie-Cox had 11 points. Down 11 points in the second half, VCU rallied to tie the game 73-73 on two Alie-Cox free throws with 9.4 seconds left, but Queens’ Ike Agusi drove the floor for a layup with 1.3 seconds left and VCU’s half-court heave at the buzzer missed the mark. Queens University won 27 games last year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. The A10 co-champion, VCU was 25-11 last season and fell to Oklahoma in the NCAA Division I second round. Alie-Cox joins Lewis on the preseason All-Conference third team and the All-Defensive team. The Rams will spend the Thanksgiving holidays in the Bahamas playing in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament with a Nov. 23 opener against Baylor. The tournament in Paradise Island includes Michigan State, St. John’s, Louisville, Old Dominion, Wichita State and LSU. A10 coaches picked VCU to finish third this season behind Dayton and Rhode Island.

Sen. Sara Kyle

Rep. Bo Mitchell

Four current or former Dickson County residents won election to the Tennessee General Assembly Tuesday night. While Republicans Mary Littleton and Michael Curcio came out on top in the Tennessee House of Representatives races in the 78^th and 69^th districts, respectively, former Dickson residents Sara Kyle and Bo Mitchell won elections to remain part of the dwindling Democratic minority in the legislature. Kyle, a 1970 graduate of Dickson High School, won an unopposed race for the District 30 seat in the Tennessee Senate. The daughter of the late Emma Gene and Bruce Peery and niece of late Gov. Frank Clement, Kyle won a special election in 2014 to fill the seat vacated by her husband, Jim Kyle, who resigned after being elected judge. Kyle received 39,564 complimentary votes in the Shelby County district to win her first four-year term. A former member of the Tennessee Public Service Commission, Kyle briefly considered a run for governor in 2014. Mitchell, a 1988 graduate of Dickson County High School, won a third term in the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 50^th District. Mitchell held off Republican challenger Nathan Massey 15,172-13,852, taking 52.3 percent of the vote in the Bellevue district. A former Metro councilman, Mitchell’s first run for office was in 2000 when he lost the Democratic primary for the 69^th District House seat to David Shepard, who is retiring after 16 years in office. Dickson businessman Curcio won Shepard’s seat over Democrat Dustin Evans to help the Republican Party increase its super-majority in the House to 74-25. The GOP won two seats previously held by Democrats while Democrats took the 69^th District race for a net gain of one seat for Republicans. The Republican majority in the Tennessee Senate remains unchanged at 28-5 as the even-numbered districts were on the ballot Tuesday. The odd-numbered districts, including Dickson’s 25^th District currently held by Kerry Roberts, will be on the ballot in 2018.

Jeff Eby

A county commissioner recently elected as a constable wants the Tennessee General Assembly to allow constables in Dickson County to have emergency lights on their vehicles. Jeff Eby, who is the county commissioner for the 2^nd District since 2014, was elected constable for the 3^rd Constable District in August. Eby previously served in the 1^st Constable District before being forced to resign when he qualified to run for commissioner and it was discovered he had moved out of the district. At its work session Monday night, Eby said shortly after being elected he learned that Tennessee statutes do not allow constables in Dickson County to operate emergency lights on their vehicles. Eby said the law allows only constables in counties in specific population ranges based on the 1970 census to have emergency lights and Dickson County is not included in any of those ranges either for its population then or now. “Evidently some of them didn’t know this in the past because a lot of them already have those lights in their cars and so there’s been some discrepancy as to whether it’s legal or not legal, whatever. But come to find out it actually is not legal in this county,” Eby said. Eby said it appears the law was drafted to include only the counties that wanted constables to have emergency lights when it originally was passed. Eby asked the commission to send a resolution to Dickson County’s legislative delegation asking that the statute be amended to add Dickson County to the list of counties where constables are allowed to operate blue flashing or blue and red combined flashing emergency lights on vehicles. County attorney Brian Ragan said since constables are county elected officials, Dickson County could be named as a defendant in any litigation involving a constable performing his official duties. “And so then it would just become a question of whether or not it was within the scope of their duties as to whether or not it’s a county obligation versus, you know, someone departs from that scope of duties and does something so egregious on their own, then they could have personal liability that would potentially remove some liability from the county,” Ragan said. Ragan said since the county would be asking the General Assembly to amend a public law instead of passing a private act, it would not require two-thirds ratification by the commission after being passed at the state level. The commissioners voted to forward the resolution to the Nov. 21 regular meeting for a final vote. Dickson County elects six constables to four-year terms and they are required to complete 40 hours of training each year. Not all Tennessee counties still have constables and it has been debated for several years whether the positions should be abolished in Dickson County.

The Burns Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting next week to address two issues regarding the potential sale of the town’s unfinished municipal park on Highway 96. The notice of a special meeting at 6 pm Wednesday says it is to employ a civil engineer and discussion and approval of a conversion packet for the Burns Municipal Park. A private investor has approached the town about purchasing the park next door to Stuart-Burns Elementary School and turning it into a multi-million dollar training facility for travel baseball and softball teams. But town attorney Tim Potter has told the commissioners there are two issues that stand in the way of that potential sale. First, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has said the town needs to address a serious erosion problem on the slope at the rear of the park. A TDEC report cites “deeply eroded gullies” and other signs of long-term erosion problems with the park property. Potter said addressing the issue will require contracting with an engineer to develop a plan to correct the issue, or the town could face civil penalties. Once the erosion problem is corrected, the town will have to apply to TDEC for permission to convert the park to non-public use. The $425,000 Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant the town received to build the park includes a stipulation that the property can be used only for public recreational purposes. To get out of that limited use, the town of Burns must purchase more land or convert existing town property to public park use equal in value to the current park as determined by the state. That “conversion” process starts with a non-refundable $10,000 application fee to TDEC, with no guarantee it will be approved. Potter said there also will be considerable legal expenses of another possible $10,000 for the process, which could take up to six months. The outgoing board of commissioners will consider hiring an engineer for the erosion plan and the $10,000 conversion application fee at the special meeting. The mayor and new board of commissioners elected Tuesday will begin their two-year terms Dec. 5. Mayor Landon Mathis was re-elected to a third term and incumbent commissioners Ed “Shot” Grove, Valton Potter and Jerry Perella won new terms while Wayne Lomax was elected to replace Chris Holland, who did not seek re-election. A representative of Knights Baseball of Nashville approached the commission in September with an offer to buy the park for $1.2 million with plans to keep the four existing softball fields, build two baseball fields and a 12,000-square-foot indoor training facility for travel teams. He said the facility could be available for public use during the week but would host tournaments approximately 40 weekends a year. The organization had been looking at property in Williamson County before making the offer for the Burns park. The same group also offered to buy 20 of 28 acres the school system owns behind the elementary school for $16,500 an acre. The school board has taken no action on the offer as it continues to consider a proposal for a middle/high school in Burns.

The Dickson County Commission is asking to see the school board’s data to justify its plan to construct a combination middle/high school in the Burns area. During a presentation by Mayor Bob Rial on proposed operating expenses for the new school, commissioners questioned Director of Schools Dr. Danny Weeks about the need for a new school when student enrollment is not growing, the reason for considering a third high school and the proposal to reduce the population of a 1,300-student middle school by building a 1,300-student middle/high school. Rial presented the commissioners with the school system’s projected operating costs for a new school with grades 6-12. The projection shows the school opening with grades 6-10 with an annual operating cost of $4.2 million, adding an 11^th grade the next year at an operating cost of $3.6 million and adding the 12^th grade in the third year with a projected operating cost of $4.1 million. Rial said he also asked Weeks to prepare projections of operating costs for opening just a middle school with grades 6-8. That projection shows expenses of $3.39 million in the first year including about $1.1 million in one-time start-up costs then an annual operating expense of $2.4 million starting in the second year. With the value of a penny of property tax rate currently set at $99,000, Rial said the projected annual operating cost of a middle/high school at $4.1 million would require a 41.66-cent increase in the county’s $2.70 property tax rate and result in a 21 percent increase in the county’s $19.8 million local education revenue. For the projected annual operating cost of a middle school at $2.4 million, Rial said it would require a 24.24-cent increase in the tax rate and a 12 percent increase in local education funding. Rial said there would be some savings recognized in the expenses at other schools by the shifting of staff and resources to the new school. Rial said one of his concerns is incurring the expense of building and operating a new school when student enrollment in Dickson County has been virtually stagnant for years. “One big hurdle I have an issue with, that I think we need to work through, we’re talking about increasing property taxes 42 cents or 24 cents to serve the same number of students that we have in school today. The school population, or ADM, has been relatively flat for the past 10 years and I think that’s a question we need to answer,” Rial said. The mayor said he also wants to involve the public in the decision process because a new school in Burns will cause major changes to the zoning of students. To put 650 middle school students in a new middle school will involve not only the students from Stuart-Burns Elementary but also likely require some students currently attending Oakmont to be zoned to the Burns school in order to reduce the population at Dickson Middle School. In addressing the proposal for a third high school, Weeks said Dickson County High School is currently at its 1,600-student capacity for its core facilities such as cafeteria, gymnasium, library and auditorium. While plans are still in the early stages, the school board’s current goal is to build a 650-student middle school and 650-student high school under one roof in Burns. Commissioners asked how the school system is improving its situation by rezoning 650 students from the 1,300-student Dickson Middle School and putting them in a 1,300-student middle/high school in Burns. Weeks said the middle and high school would operate as separate schools sharing the same core facilities and would have 1,300 students across seven grades instead of the 1,300 students in three grades on three campuses at Dickson Middle and Dickson Intermediate. Commissioners asked for information about core and classroom capacities at the county’s high schools and middle schools and if there is opportunity for expansion, operating costs of current schools, how student performance is being impacted by enrollment and what other facility improvements are being considered. The Dickson County School Board meets in a planning session at 6 pm tonight at Creek Wood High School and is expected to discuss the Burns school proposal with its project manager and architects. Rial said he hopes the commission can have answers to some of the questions asked at Monday’s work session by its December meeting while Weeks said the school board is hoping to bring a proposal to the commission after the first of the year if it plans to begin construction of a new school in May to open by fall 2019.

Dickson and White Bluff are registering entries for their annual Christmas parades. The Dickson parade will be 2 pm Sunday, Nov. 27. The White Bluff parade will be 4:30 pm Saturday, Dec. 10. Presented by the Downtown Dickson Business Association, the entry fee for the Dickson parade is $10 through Nov. 21 and $15 after that date. The theme for the 2016 parade is “The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear.” That is a line from the tremendously popular 2003 holiday movie “Elf,” starring Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf. Entry forms for the parade are available in recent issues of The Dickson Herald and Dickson Shopper. Completed entry forms with entry fee checks made payable to House Blend can be sent to Jeremy Spencer at 124 N. Main St. or Robert Reid at 205 Shady Hollow Drive in Dickson. For more information, call 615-446-3311 or 615-613-4067. The parade will begin assembling at noon on the campus of Dickson County High School with participants using the Henslee Drive entrance. The parade will exit the campus at the east gate on North Charlotte Street and go south to McFarland Land, where it turns left. Crossing to Highway 48, the parade turns south and proceeds on Main Street through downtown, turning left before the railroad tracks and crossing to Church Street. It turns back north to College Street, where it turns right and heads east to Academy Street before disbanding on the Dickson Middle School campus. There is no entry fee for the White Bluff parade, but participants are asked to register by contacting town hall at 615-797-3131. The theme for the 2016 parade is “Christmas Trees and Memories.” White Bluff’s annual parade is an electric parade to feature lighted elements by starting at dusk. The parade will assemble at the campus of William James Middle School. As of last week’s town council meeting, the route for this year’s parade had not been finalized. Traditionally, the parade goes west on Highway 70 through downtown, then turns north on Highway 47 before turning back east on Old Charlotte Road and heading back into downtown to disband at the middle school. This year’s Creek Wood Homecoming parade tried a different route, going from William James to Highway 47 but then turned west on Old Charlotte Road and disbanded at the Bibb-White Bluff Civic Center. Participants reported congestion from vehicles parked along Old Charlotte Road and Mayor Linda Hayes said police Chief Mike Holman and fire Chief Eric Deal would make a decision on this year’s Christmas parade route. Also on Dec. 10 will be the White Bluff Parks and Recreation Department’s Breakfast with Santa. Tickets are $5 with children 3 and under free for the event 7-10 am at the White Bluff Community Center. The breakfast includes all-you-can-eat pancakes, drawings for prizes, activities for children and an appearance by Santa Claus. Christmas in Downtown Dickson will be 5-9 pm Friday, Dec. 2. It will include the lighting of the city Christmas tree in Holland Park, a live nativity at the Dickson County Help Center, prizes, refreshments, musical performances, carriages rides and photos with Santa Claus as well as extended hours and special sales at downtown merchants.

The Dickson County Board of Education is currently seeking input and comments on a proposed calendar for the 2017-18 school year. The draft of the calendar has been posted on the school system’s website at dicksoncountyschools.org and comments can be submitted by email to info@dcbe.org through the end of the month. Director of Schools Dr. Danny Weeks said at Thursday’s work session he hopes the board will be ready to vote on the calendar at its December meeting so all students and families have plenty of time to make any plans that are contingent on the school year. Weeks said the proposed calendar is very similar to the current school year with only a couple minor changes. At the board meeting last month, Weeks said administrators and faculty said the half-days for students in which faculty have planning sessions have proven ineffective with little time for the teachers to conduct meaningful planning. The current school year includes two of those days on Oct. 31 and Feb. 6. Weeks said those half-days have been removed from the 2017-18 calendar. The proposed calendar takes the two half-days to add a third full day of staff development Sept. 5, 2017, Oct. 30, 2017, and Jan. 2, 2018. With school starting Aug. 1 and ending May 26, 2018, and providing the required 180 days of instruction, the new calendar shortens the spring break to one week instead of the seven days currently scheduled in March 2017. There is still a two-week fall break, two-week Christmas break, an additional Friday off in April and a full day off for parent-teacher conferences, along with the usual holidays. The only thing not included in the current calendar draft is the football Homecoming celebrations at Dickson County and Creek Wood high schools. With the reclassification of schools, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s Board of Control is meeting Nov. 17 to establish new region lineups. That means football coaches and athletic directors are having to wait to make their 2017 schedules until they know who their region opponents will be. In the 2014 and ’16 seasons, the two high schools scheduled their Homecomings for the same day, meaning all schools in the county dismissed after half a day. Weeks said it will be up to the administrations at the schools to determine when their Homecomings will be and they will be added to the calendar, but it is not known at this time if they will be the same or different days. The proposed calendar has the Creek Wood Class of 2018 graduating on Thursday, May 17, and Dickson County Class of 2018 graduating on Friday, May 18. Weeks said the calendar includes the same 10 built-in days for inclement weather. The school board is expected to vote on the calendar at its Dec. 15 meeting.

Dickson County Schools 2017-18 Draft Calendar

Aug. 1, 2017 – First day of school

Sept. 4, 2017 – Labor Day (no school)

Sept. 5, 2017 – Staff Development (faculty only)

Oct. 2-13, 2017 – Fall break

Oct. 30, 2017 – Staff Development (faculty only)

Nov. 6, 2017 – Parent-Teacher conferences (faculty only)

Nov. 22-24, 2017 – Thanksgiving break

Dec. 15, 2017 – End of semester (half-day)

Dec. 18-29, 2017 – Christmas break

Jan. 1, 2018 – New Year’s Day (no school)

Jan. 2, 2018 – Staff Development (faculty only)

Jan. 15, 2018 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day (no school)

Feb. 19, 2018 – Presidents Day (no school)

Mar. 26-30, 2018 – Spring break

April 20, 2018 – School break (no school)

May 17, 2018 – Creek Wood graduation

May 18, 2018 – Dickson County graduation

May 26, 2018 – Last day/report cards (half-day)

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. (right) reads a commendation for Lt. Todd Christian, Patrol Officer Will Morrison and Patrol Officer Levi Davis for their efforts in rescuing a motorist from City Lake.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and the Dickson City Council presented commendations to three Dickson Police Department officers for their efforts to save a man who suffered a medical emergency and drove a truck into City Lake. At Monday night’s meeting, Weiss recognized the actions of Lt Todd Christian, Patrol Officer Levi Davis and Patrol Officer Will “Bo” Morrison IV when they pulled a 41-year-old man from a sinking truck in the early morning hours of Sept. 11. 41-year-old Brian Hedrick was driving himself to the emergency room and on the phone with a 911 dispatcher when he lost control of the Toyota pickup on Beasley Drive and drove down the embankment into the lake. In a recording of the 911 call, Hedrick is heard telling a dispatcher he is suffering severe chest pain but is trying to drive himself to the hospital. After a few moments of silence, Hedrick is heard yelling that he has driven into the lake. Within a minute, Davis and Morrison were in the water and trying to pull Hedrick from the truck 20 yards from the bank. Unable to get the door open, the truck began to sink when water poured in the open window, forcing the officers to swim away to avoid being pulled under by the suction. Off duty and heading home from working at the fairgrounds, Christian joined in the rescue effort and when Hedrick surfaced the lieutenant managed to pull him to the shore where Davis and Morrison helped pull him from the water. Weiss called it a “privilege and honor” to recognize the officers for the work they do every day putting their lives on the line and for the “bravery” they exhibited in the rescue. Hedrick was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was admitted for an undisclosed medical condition.

When the Dickson County School Board selected Hewlett Spencer LLC to be the project manager for what was then going to be a new middle school in Burns a year ago, one of the selling points was its Guaranteed Maximum Price policy. The company takes the designs and working with contractors determines a maximum price for the project that is put into a contract and then there are no change orders that drive the cost up, with most projects coming in under the GMP. But because the company wants to make sure it has included every potential factor before it comes up with that figure, Hewlett Spencer’s Ron Bargatze says it most likely will not be ready when the school board wants to go before the county commission in January to get approval of the now-planned middle/high school in Burns. During an update on the proposed footprint of the new school on Highway 96 at Thursday night’s work session, Director of Schools Dr. Danny Weeks said Mayor Bob Rial and the commission want the board to present plans for the new school in January and February to begin considering the bonds for construction. Rial has said he wants the commission to have at least 60 days to review the proposals. Bargatze said the time it has taken the board to pick a potential site and the upcoming holidays mean it could be February before the guaranteed price is ready. “It’s going to be pretty difficult right now for us to give you a GMP by that time because we have the Christmas holidays. We’ll do a lot of really tough bidding on each of the line items and we have to do that before we can do a GMP. We just can’t throw darts at it,” Bargatze said. Bargatze said there is still plenty of time to complete the school according to the board’s timeline. He said the company believes it will take 20 months to build the school and while the discussion has been starting work in May it more likely will be June. But he said that should still be enough time to have the school completed by June 2019 to open that fall. Working with architects C&I Design and Lyle-Cook-Martin and school system administrators to determine square footage and programming for the school, Bargatze said the company will then “shrink-wrap” the design to meet the needs to determine the best possible price. “Right now we’ve got to make sure we get it right. The Guaranteed Maximum Price can be kind of tough because once we give it, that’s what we’re stuck with. So we’ve got to make sure we’ve got all of our facts together and move along at a pace where we can be accurate on that,” Bargatze said. Bargatze said he believes the company will be able to provide a “great estimate” in January. Parallel to the middle/high school in Burns, Bargatze said the company also will be ready to present estimates for additions and renovations to other schools that could be included in the same borrowing. Those include classroom additions at White Bluff Elementary and Stuart-Burns Elementary, a “loop road” at Stuart-Burns and HVAC improvements at Oakmont Elementary. Bargatze said it will be more cost-effective for the school system to make those improvements at the same time as building the new school. Board Chairman Tim Potter said he hopes to be able to put together a comprehensive presentation that will include answers to questions asked by county commissioners at their work session Monday as well as solid cost projections for the new school and proposals for funding its operations to take to the commission in January.

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s proposed 2017-21 alignment for football teams places Dickson County in a region with five Williamson County schools while Creek Wood joins a seven-team region with schools in Montgomery and Robertson counties. The TSSAA released its proposed region alignments for all sports last week and schools wanting to appeal their placements can do so at this week’s Board of Control meeting. Schools cannot begin scheduling meetings until after the board finalizes the regions Thursday. Dickson County High School is placed in Region 6-6A for football along with Brentwood, Centennial, Franklin, Independence and Ravenwood high schools. Dickson County remains the smallest school in the state’s largest classification based on enrollment. There are 49 schools in Class 6A with four seven-team regions, two six-team regions and one region each with five and four schools. Creek Wood High School is placed in Region 5-4A for football along with Greenbrier, Montgomery Central, Portland, Springfield, White House-Heritage and White House high schools. Creek Wood is the southernmost school in the new region. Class 4A has 47 schools with three seven-team regions, two six-team regions, two five-team regions and one four-team region. Four teams from each region will advance to the playoffs. The proposed alignment is for the next four years but the TSSAA will re-evaluate school enrollments in fall 2018 and move any schools that have seen at least a 20 percent increase or decrease in enrollment that would place it in another class.

Basketball, Baseball and Softball

For basketball, baseball and softball, there are three classes. Creek Wood is in District 11 of Class AA with Camden, East Hickman, Fairview, Hickman County, Lewis County, Stewart County and Waverly. Dickson County is in District 11 of Class AAA with Brentwood, Centennial, Franklin, Independence, Page, Ravenwood, Spring Hill and Summit.

Volleyball

For volleyball, Creek Wood is in Class AA Region 6 District 12 with Camden, Cheatham County, Fairview, Montgomery Central and Sycamore. Dickson County is in Class AAA Region 6 District 12 with Centennial, Franklin, Independence, Page, Ravenwood and Summit.

Soccer

For soccer, Creek Wood is in Class AA Region 6 District 12 with Cheatham County, Fairview, Kenwood, Montgomery Central and Sycamore. Dickson County is in Class AAA Region 6 District 12 with Centennial, Franklin, Independence, Ravenwood and Summit.

Golf and Tennis

For golf and tennis, schools are divided into Small and Large divisions. Creek Wood will be in Large Division Region 5 District 10. Dickson County will be in Large Division Region 6 District 11.

Cross Country

In cross country, Division I schools will be divided into Small and Large divisions. Creek Wood is in Large Division Region 5 with 21 other schools. Dickson County is in Large Division Region 6 with 20 other schools.

Track and Field

For track and field schools are divided into Large and Small divisions with sections for each part of the state. Dickson County and Creek Wood are in the Middle Section of the Large Division.

Wrestling

For boys’ wrestling, Creek Wood is in Class A/AA Region 4 and Dickson County is in Class AAA Region 7. For girls’ wrestling, Creek Wood and Dickson County are in the West Division. For dual wrestling, Creek Wood is in Class A/AA Region 8 and Dickson County is in Class AAA Region 7 District 14.

Bowling

For bowling, Creek Wood and Dickson County are in Region 6 District 13.

The alignments for all sports will be finalized Thursday and schools can begin creating their 2017-18 schedules.

The Dickson County Chamber of Commerce is conducting a contest for local pictures. The community photo contest is seeking photographs that will be used on the chamber’s website and in other printed materials to promote Dickson County. “This contest is designed to showcase our county at its best to entice interest and attract new residents and visitors to the area,” says a statement on the chamber’s Facebook page. The contest is open to photographers of all ages and can feature photographs showing all aspects of life in Dickson County, including housing, leisure, family fun, education, economic growth and development, tourism and more. Pictures must be submitted by 4:30 pm Dec. 31 and there will be cash prizes of $50, $100 and $200 for the top photographs with an overall winner being featured on the home page of the chamber’s website with photo credit. Only original, high-quality images in a digital format will be considered. All submissions become photo rights of the chamber. High-resolution images of 300X300 dpi in jpg, gif or tif formats can be submitted to Dickson County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Joey Graves at joey@dicksoncountychamber.com. For more information, contact the chamber at 615-446-2349 or visit dicksoncountychamber.com or the Dickson County Chamber of Commerce page on Facebook.

A Centerville man was killed and two people injured in a Sunday wreck in northern Dickson County. The Tennessee Highway Patrol reports 39-year-old William Davidson died in a two-car wreck on Stayton Road shortly after 6:30 pm Sunday. The report by Trooper Mark Blasco says Davidson was a passenger in a 2000 Pontiac Gran Prix driven by 34-year-old Joshua Farley of Centerville. The report says Farley was westbound on Stayton Road when he entered a curve and lost control. It says the car went into a yaw and the rear end crossed the center line, striking a 2009 Saturn Vue driven by 65-year-old Pamela Batey of Charlotte. The report says Davidson was killed and Farley and Batey were injured but does not provide any information on the nature of their injuries. A medical helicopter was called to the wreck scene. According to Blasco’s report, Davidson and Farley were not wearing seat belts while Batey was and in the trooper’s opinion safety restraints could have made a difference in the wreck. The preliminary report released by Sgt. Travis Plotzer does not list the questions about suspected alcohol or drug use that are normally included with THP reports, but the report says charges are “pending.” The wreck shut down Stayton Road for several hours Sunday night as the THP’s Critical Incident Response Team was called to assist in the investigation. No funeral arrangements for Davidson have been announced. The conditions of Farley and Batey are not known.

Rachel Bell (3) puts up a shot against Kennesaw State. (photo by Joe Howell)

LeaLea Carter (30) shoots in her first college game against Kennesaw State. (photo by Joe Howell)

Vanderbilt coach Stephanie White’s homecoming in Indiana saw her Commodores fall to the 23rd-ranked Hoosiers 94-61. Creek Wood graduate Rachel Bell was the only Vandy player in double figures with 11 points while four players finished with 8. Before taking over the Commodores, White was Miss Basketball while in high school in Indiana, was national player of the year at Purdue and spent the last six years with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. But Sunday’s return to her home state saw Vandy come away with its first loss of the season. The Commodores trailed 35-31 midway through the second period. But Indiana closed the half with a 13-4 run and opened the third quarter with a 12-0 spurt to take control. Junior Bell hit 4 of 14 from the floor and went 3 for 3 at the foul line for her team-high 11 points. Freshman LeaLea Carter from Dickson County High School finished with 4 points, hitting 1 of 7 field goals and 2 free throws. The Commodores opened their season with an 86-54 win over Kennesaw State Friday in Memorial Gym. After starting in Vandy’s two exhibition games, Carter has come off the bench in the first two games of the regular season. Against the Owls from Georgia, Vandy hit 14 of 26 three-pointers. Carter scored the first points of her collegiate career when she hit 2 of 9 field goals, 1 of 3 three-pointers and both her foul shots for 7 points. Running point in White’s up-tempo offense, Bell had 5 points on 2 of 6 field goals and 1 of 2 free throws. Vanderbilt returns to Memorial Gym Wednesday for a 7 pm contest against Drexel on the SEC Network. The Commodores will host Duke Sunday.

WDKN and 101.5 The One FM will be hosting the 4^th annual Hope-A-Thon to benefit the Dickson County Help Center on Wednesday. The radio stations will be broadcasting from the help center 9 am-5 pm as part of a donation drive to raise $40,000 for the assistance programs. The day will include information about the help center, live musical performances, refreshments, specials in the thrift store and pledges of support. The Dickson County Help Center operates its food pantry and offers assistance with utilities, rent, medications, temporary housing and many other special needs throughout the year. Its thrift store generates funds for operational costs so 100 percent of donations can go to assistance programs. The center will be giving away hundreds of free turkeys with side dishes for Thanksgiving starting Monday morning. The center will host its annual Give N Gobble 5K on Thanksgiving morning, making November’s fund-raising efforts critical to the help center for the year. Special guests will be performing during each hour Wednesday. Harpist Carol McClure will be in the 9:00 hour, singer/songwriter Bernie Nelson at 10, Brittany Baxton at 11, Walter Ferguson, former keyboard player for George Jones and founder of Fish Heads and Rice, will be at noon, Texaco Country Showdown state winner Jonathan Wells in the 2:00 hour and students from the Quest Center will perform over the last two hours. To make a pledge during the 4^th annual Hope-A-Thon for the Dickson County Help Center, tune in 9 am-5 pm Wednesday and call 615-441-0076 or come by the center at 103 West College St. Volunteers from the help center and various organizations that support the center will be answering phones throughout the day to accept pledges and challenges.