WJLE Radio, 2606 McMinnville Highway, Smithville, TN (2026)

08/27/2026

WJLE will be joining radio stations across Tennessee in a statewide Simultaneous Dolly Tribute today (Thursday). The Tennessee Association of Broadcasters has requested that all radio stations, regardless of format, participate in a brief tribute by playing “I will always love you” sung by Dolly straight up at 8 a.m. central time. It is recommended that listeners in cars turn on their headlights in tribute to Dolly.

08/27/2026

DeKalb County Mayor Elect Patrick Ray will hold a public meeting regarding the ongoing DeKalb County Jail project on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Main Auditorium at the DeKalb County Complex located at 712 South Congress Blvd Smithville.

The purpose of the meeting is to provide the DeKalb County Commission and the public with an update on the jail project and an opportunity to better understand the project’s history, current status, and potential direction moving forward.

County Mayor-Elect Patrick Ray is encouraging members of the public to attend the meeting and become informed about the jail project.

“This meeting will give the public an opportunity to understand where the jail project began, where the project stands today, and what the County Commission may want to consider as their decision-making options moving forward,” Ray said. “I encourage everyone who has an interest in the future of the DeKalb County Jail to attend, listen and become informed on the jail issues.”

Speakers expected to participate in the meeting include representatives from:

Treanor (Project Architect)
Bell Construction (Project Builder)
Tennessee Correctional Institute (TCI)
County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS)
DeKalb County Fiscal Agent
DeKalb County Attorney
The meeting will provide an opportunity for the County Commission and the public to hear directly from professionals and county officials involved in various aspects of the jail project.

This is a public meeting, and all members of the community are encouraged to attend.

Meeting Details:
Date: Thursday, September 10, 2026
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Main Auditorium, DeKalb County Complex
Purpose: Update on the DeKalb County Jail Project

08/25/2026

After 37 years in law enforcement including the last 20 years as DeKalb County Sheriff, Patrick Ray is retiring from that job but waiting in the wings to take another, County Mayor.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the county commission honored Sheriff Ray by adopting a resolution commending and congratulating him on his retirement from law enforcement after 37 years of dedicated service. As part of the tribute, the commission presented Sheriff Ray with his badge and service revolver as a lasting token of the county’s appreciation for his distinguished service.

Ray, who was first elected sheriff in 2006, is completing 20 years and five terms. He is the longest serving sheriff in DeKalb County history. Earlier this month, Ray was elected the next DeKalb County Mayor, succeeding County Mayor Matt Adcock who did not seek re-election. Ray is also making history by being the first DeKalb County Sheriff to be elected DeKalb County Mayor.

County Mayor Adcock read the resolution which was adopted unanimously on a voice vote by the commission.

Sheriff Ray thanked the commission for the tribute and expressed appreciation to his family.

“I just want to thank you Mayor and the County Commission for bestowing on me an honor tonight by giving me my service weapon and badge. That’s something very special to me and something that I’ve strived at for 20 years as your sheriff to be a good influence on our county and to represent you in the best way that I could,” said Sheriff Ray

“I worked with 5 county commissions since I’ve been sheriff and 3 county mayors, and I just want to tell all of them and all of you, thank you for the support that you’ve shown me during my tenure as sheriff, and most of all, I want to thank my wife, Dessa. I’ve been in law enforcement for 37 years and 3 months, and 30 years of that, we’ve been married. Its took a lot of time away from her and my son, PJ. I want to say thank you to him. She’ll (Dessa) tell you in the beginning when I got elected, there were a lot of nights that I wasn’t there. I just want to tell them thank you and I love you,” Sheriff Ray said.

“Even though this chapter of my life is coming to an end at 11: 59 p.m. Monday, I look forward to serving you at 12 o’clock AM on Tuesday morning as your county mayor and if anyone ever needs anything from me then I’ll be there to answer your beckon call,” added Sheriff Ray.

The resolution is as follows:

“Whereas, Patrick Ray has devoted thirty seven years of his life to serving the citizens of DeKalb County and surrounding communities through a distinguished career in law enforcement; and

‘Whereas, of those thirty seven years, Mr. Ray honorably served thirty three years in DeKalb County, Tennessee, dedicating his career to protecting the lives, property, and constitutional rights of the citizens he served; and

Whereas, Mr. Ray served twenty of those years as Sheriff of DeKalb County, providing leadership, integrity, professionalism, and steadfast commitment to the citizens of DeKalb County; and

Whereas, throughout his career, Sheriff Ray demonstrated an unwavering commitment to public safety and faithfully carried out the responsibilities entrusted to him, earning the respect and appreciation of the citizens, employees, fellow law enforcement officers, and public officials with whom he served; and

Whereas, the DeKalb County Commission recognizes that a career of thirty seven years in law enforcement represents an extraordinary commitment to public service and wishes to formally express its gratitude and appreciation to Patrick Ray for his many years of honorable and dedicated service; and

Whereas, as a lasting token of the County’s appreciation for his distinguished service, the DeKalb County Commission desires to present Mr. Ray with his gold five-point-star Sheriff’s badge, together with his G***k 43X handgun, Holosun sight, and Streamlight TLR-7, subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, policies, and requirements governing the transfer and possession of such property; and

Whereas, the DeKalb County Commission considers it fitting and proper to recognize Patrick Ray for his extraordinary length of service and to congratulate him upon his retirement.

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the DeKalb County Commission, hereby commends and congratulates Patrick Ray upon his retirement after thirty seven years of dedicated service in law enforcement, including thirty three years serving the citizens of DeKalb County and twenty years serving as Sheriff of DeKalb County”.

08/25/2026

The current make up of the county commission met together for the last time Monday night before their terms of office expire at midnight next Monday, August 31. Pictured seated left to right: Daniel Cripps, Jack Barton, Jeff Barnes, Myron Rhody, Tony (Cully) Culwell, Sabrina Farler, and Beth Pafford. Standng left to right: Greg Matthews, Andy Pack, Larry Green, County Mayor-Elect and retiring Sheriff Patrick Ray, Retiring County Mayor Matt Adcock, Mathias Anderson, Tom Chandler, and Glynn Merriman. Brandon Donnell (not pictured). Commissioners Barton, Barnes, Farler, Pafford, Green, Chandler, Merriman, and Donnell will not be returning to the new commission in September.

The newly elected county public officials will take their oath of office on August 31st at 6pm in the auditorium of the County Complex. Honorable Judge Brandon Cox will be administering the oath of office to all newly elected County Commissioners, School Board members, Register of Deeds, County Trustee, County Clerk, Circuit Court Clerk, Road Supervisor, Sheriff, and County Mayor. Their new terms begin September 1.

08/24/2026

WJLE

08/21/2026

The wheels are in motion to relocate the DeKalb Emergency Communications District (E-911 dispatch center) to the old county health department building on Tiger Drive. Although the county commission voted in January to approve the move, it won’t be official until a lease agreement is adopted between the county and 911. Action on terms of a lease agreement will be on the agenda for Monday night’s regular monthly meeting of the county commission, August 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the county complex.

Brad Mullinax, Director of the DeKalb Emergency Communication District, formally asked the county to allow the 911 dispatch center to move there during a January 8 meeting of the county’s Health, Education, and Public Welfare Committee. The committee at that time voted to recommend to the full county commission that Mullinax’s request be granted.

Mullinax, at that committee meeting, said the 911 operation needs more space and that grant funds could be sought to help renovate the old health department building and use it not only for 911 operations but for other purposes as well including a storm shelter and an Emergency Management Agency office.

Although he has already been handed the keys to the health department building, Mullinax told members of the county commission last night, Thursday August 20 during a monthly workshop meeting, that it’s important to have a lease between county and 911 in place because grant funds are involved.

“We need to formalize that lease agreement because we will be using multiple different funding sources, local, state and federal funds and a lot of those monies are earmarked and they have to be spent on certain things. If we go in there and the county should decide we don’t want this to be the 911 center anymore somebody has to pay that money back to the government if that time has not expired yet,” said Mullinax

“We have taken possession of the building and we have the keys. The health department director Michael Railling took us for a walk through. The building will suit us very well,” explained Mullinax. “We could go in there tomorrow and not spend any money and be a lot better off than where we are right now. There are some things like plumbing, electric and network communications that need to be upgraded. We just need something in writing that I can show for grant purposes that we have a long-term agreement with the county,” said Mullinax. “Specifically, one of the grants we are looking at is a federal hazard mitigation grant and what we would use those funds for would be to harden part of that building to make it more storm proof and that is the biggest one (grant) I am concerned about,” he said.

Twenty one years ago, the county and cities consolidated their emergency and non-emergency dispatch operations and relocated to a vacant building on South Mountain Street which once served as a restaurant.

In January Mullinax first told the county commission that the 911 center needs a new home.

“Our main problem with the building is we have simply outgrown it. We have been there since 2005. It has served us well but the space was never really designed appropriately for a 911 center. It has kitchen counter tops with cabinets over top and you are sitting there (dispatchers) with a chair. That is not the ideal environment for a dispatcher. They need to be able to get up and move, stand up occasionally, have a relaxing chair, be able to control the temperature at their work stations, and other things that are being done at PSAPS (Public Safety Answering Points) all across the country. The area that is way too small for us is the equipment room. My vision would be to make the equipment room about three times as large as it is now. Yes, it costs money but if we do that (grant) as part of this renovation some of those costs could be absorbed in with that, said 911 Director Mullinax.

08/18/2026

Calvary Baptist Church in Smithville has a new pastor

Nick Sackman, his wife Ashley Manning Sackman and their two children, 4 year old Andrew, and one year old Archer, reside in the Hickman/Brush Creek area of Smith County and they come to Calvary Baptist from the New Middleton Baptist Church, the home church where they worshipped. Ashley is a native of Gordonsville.

Son of John and Tracy Sackman, Nick was born and raised in Alexandria and he grew up going to DeKalb West School through 6th grade after which he transferred to the Watertown school system where his mother worked. Nick has an older sister, Ashley and a younger brother Colin. After Nick finished his elementary and high school education at Watertown he headed off to college.

“I went to Cumberland University and I was there from 2013 until I graduated in 2017 with my Bachelor of Science degree in athletic training. For the past 9 years I’ve been considered an athletic trainer where I’ve worked at multiple high schools, taking care of athletes and sports teams, and then most recently in an orthopedic clinic working for multiple surgeons and providers,” said Sackman.

Nick explained what led to his decision to go into the ministry.

“It was a conviction. Growing up several pastors in my life had asked me about whether I had ever thought about entering the ministry, mentioning that I seemed to have a gift for teaching. It was something I initially shrugged off and didn’t think anything of it, but then throughout time God got a hold of me, convicted me and I began to think maybe I should listen to these people. Through prayer and consideration, seeking God’s guidance, I went forward before my church at New Middleton Baptist Church at Smith County in 2023 and made my confession to enter the ministry,” said Sackman.

After Nick learned that a minister position was open at Calvary Baptist Church, he became interested in pursuing what would become for him his first ever lead pastor role.

“I keep up with job postings through the SBC or the Southern Baptist Convention, and there was a posting created for Calvary Baptist. I had a mutual contact through Brother B.J. Thomason, who also lives here in Smithville and he was there at Calvary Baptist as his first church as well. I reached out to him and then was able to submit a resume. I just prayed that I could potentially get some time with people there to talk about the opening and they reached out to me. We set up some meetings, had a meet and greet, and then we did interviews, had trial sermons, more interviews, and then finally came the voting process by the church just over a month ago,” said Sackman.

Nick said his desire is to share the Gospel with others and see the church grow.

“We want to share God’s truth and be obedient and faithful. As our mission statement says we want God’s word to be established. We want God’s son to be exalted. We want God’s people to be equipped, and in the end, we want God’s plan to be established. I think that’s the goal here,” he said.

Pastor Sackman invites everyone to come worship with the congregation at Calvary Baptist Church on Foster Road in Smithville.

Worship times are Sunday school at 10 a.m. followed by the worship service at 11 a.m. Sunday evening at 6 p.m. and midweek services at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening.

08/16/2026

Sewer rates for 440 customers in the town of Alexandria will soon be going up by 20% this year and another 20% for each of the following two years.

During a special meeting Thursday, the new makeup of the Alexandria Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to increase the sewer rates as recommended in a recent rate study to comply with an order from the Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation to keep the wastewater utility solvent.

Newly elected aldermen Margaret Stevens, Susan Holmes, and Curtis Rutter voted to adopt the resolution raising the sewer rates. Mayor Jeff Ford presided over the meeting. Aldermen absent for the meeting were Debbie Fischer, Bobby Simpson, and Luke Prichard.

By previously refusing to hike the sewer rates, town officials were facing a subpoena to appear before the TBOUR (Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation) to give an account and ran the risk of landing in Chancery Court. The state comptroller had also denied approval of the city’s 2026-27 budget because of its lack of action on the issue.

In February, Buddy Petty and Jack Elston of RateStudies of Hermitage met with the mayor and aldermen and reported that the rate study on behalf of the Town of Alexandria’s water and sewer utility was done in compliance with an order by Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation (TBOUR). According to Petty and Elston, this was Alexandria’s first-rate study in four years.

Although the study found that Alexandria’s water rates don’t need to be raised in 2026-27, the sewer rates do need to be increased by as much as 20%, with another 20% hike for the following two years to get the town out of the financial hole.

“Legally at the end of the day, it is the town’s job to run a self sufficient water and sewer system . I understand there’s a lot of chatter out there about water and sewer rates but when the state comptroller tells us we have to do this it’s a burden we have to take on,” said Alderman Rutter during Thursday night’s special meeting.

The resolution is as follows

“The resolution of the Town of Alexandria authorizing and approving an annual 20% incremental increase in wastewater service rates for three consecutive years pursuant to the Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation (TBOUR)”

“Whereas, the Town of Alexandria operates and maintains a public wastewater system dedicated to providing safe, reliable, and environmentally compliant utility services to its customers, and

Whereas the Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation exercises oversight regarding the financial self-sufficiency stability, and operational viability of utility systems in the state of Tennessee, and

Whereas a comprehensive review of the utility’s operating costs, capital improvement needs, debt service requirements, and reserve funds indicates that the current rate structures are insufficient to maintain long-term financial stability and regulatory compliance, and

Whereas TBOUR standards require public utilities to maintain rates and charges sufficient to pay all operating expenditures, maintenance expenses, and debt service requirements as well as to fund necessary capital replacements and emergency reserves, and

Whereas the town of Alexandria finds that implementing an incremental rate adjustment of 20% per year over a three-year period is necessary to achieve financial stability and satisfy the directives and requirements established by TBOUR.

Now therefore, be it resolved by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the Town of Alexandria that:

Section 1: The rate schedule adjustment. The schedule of rates and charges for wastewater sewer services shall be increased by 20% annually for three consecutive fiscal years

Section 2: Implementation schedule. The rate adjustment shall take effect according to the following schedule. Year one increase on July 1, 2026 -$14.73 per 1,000 gallons. Year two increase July 1, 2027- $17.67 per 1,000 gallons. Year three increase July 1, 2028 -$21.20 per 1,000 gallons.

Section 3: Application of rates. The rate increases authorized under this resolution shall apply uniformly across all customer classifications, residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional, to both base minimum monthly charges and volume metric usage rates unless otherwise specifically exempted by law or board policy.

Section 4: TBOUR reporting and compliance. The general manager or manager of utilities or designated official is hereby authorized and directed to submit all required documentation, financial projections, and copies of this resolution to the Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation to ensure full compliance with state regulatory reporting mandates

Section 5: Severability. If any section clause, provision, or portion of this resolution is held to be invalid or unenforceable by a court or administrative body of competent jurisdiction such shall not affect the validity of any other section, clause, or portion

Section 7: Effective date. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its passage. The public welfare requiring it”.

08/14/2026

Fewer students are enrolled in the DeKalb County School System than this time last year.

Comparing the numbers for the period of August 7-14 total enrollment from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade district wide was 2,820 as of Friday, August 14, down by 54 students from 2,874 last year.

This marks the fifth year in a row that enrollment district-wide has been lower than the year before. Four years ago, enrollment to start the school year in August 2022 was 3,007 which was 187 students more than this year.

Officials point to home schooling as a factor for the decline both locally and in other parts of the state.

Thirteen years ago in August 2013, DeKalb County’s student enrollment district-wide was 3,052 or 232 more than today.

According to Attendance Supervisor Joey Reeder, the August numbers are down from last year by 33 students at DeKalb County High School, 31 at Northside Elementary School, and 29 at Smithville Elementary School. Enrollment went up at two schools, DeKalb West by 23 students and by 16 at DeKalb Middle School.

Currently, the largest class by grade district-wide is sixth grade with 251 students followed by ninth grade-233, second grade-229, third grade-219, seventh grade-218, kindergarten-217, fourth grade- 214, eighth grade-213, tenth grade-212, fifth grade with 211, first grade- 205, eleventh grade-188, and twelfth grade-147. The smallest class district-wide is the pre-K classes at 63 students.

As of Friday, August 14 enrollment at each school was as follows compared to last year:

DCHS: 780 (down by 33 students) * In August 2013 DCHS enrollment was 834.

DeKalb Middle School: 533 (up by 16 students) *In August 2013, DMS enrollment stood at 592.

Northside Elementary: 518 (down by 31 students) *In August 2013, the Northside enrollment was 591.

Smithville Elementary: 522 (up by 29 students) * In August 2013, the Smithville Elementary enrollment was 621.

DeKalb West School: 467 (up by 23 students) *In August 2013, the DWS enrollment stood at 414.

08/14/2026

Goodbye Eric Ervin

The Board of Education bid goodbye to fourth district member Eric Ervin who attended his last school board meeting Thursday night before his term expires August 31.

Ervin, who was elected four years ago, chose not to seek re-election this year. He will be succeeded by Jesse Sutton, who was elected unopposed on August 6. Sutton’s term begins September 1.

“We just want to say thank you for your contributions and for the time and energy that you have given to our school board, faculty, and staff. We wish you nothing but the best”, said Director of Schools Patrick Cripps who presented Ervin with a recognition award.

Meanwhile in his monthly personnel report, Director Cripps announced that the following have been hired as substitutes: Joyce Alexander, Guylene Atnip, Brenda Bandy, Kelsi Lee, Dale Johnson, Regina Kent, Karen Kidd, Pat Parkerson, Gail Rose, Larry Steffee, Helga Thompson, Susan VanDyne, Wanda Vickers, and Ginger Caplinger. Stormy Komandosky was granted a leave of absence as requested.

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