Public warned about E-ZPass Text Scam
by: Dwayne PageApr 02, 2025
Going through tolls is a routine part of driving for millions across the U.S. E-ZPass makes toll paying fast and convenient – as easy as driving through dedicated lanes. But some scammers are exploiting E-ZPass’s popularity to scam drivers through a phony “outstanding toll” text.
This widespread scam sends an unsolicited SMS message claiming the recipient has unpaid E-ZPass tolls. To avoid penalties, it tells them to click a link to settle the debt. However, it’s a sneaky fraud meant to steal your money and identity. However, the texts do not originate from any official E-ZPass agency or toll road authority. They are fraudulent messages sent by scammers to deceive the public and capture personal information and money.
New sites for jail construction up for consideration by County Commission
by: Dwayne PageApr 02, 2025
A step closer?
During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, March 31, the county commission may be poised to make a decision on the most preferred site for new jail construction
The commission held its monthly workshop last night (March 24) and identified two other potential locations for a jail which had not been previously discussed including 33 acres owned by Steven Cantrell on West Main Street and 71.5 acres owned by Tim Staley known as Smith Road properties on Smith Road. Both locations are in the city limits of Smithville with utilities either available or easily accessible.
Commissioner Larry Green, who serves as the jail committee chairman, said members of the DeKalb County commission toured the Smith County Jail and Justice Center last Tuesday with Bob Bass, former Deputy Director of the Tennessee Corrections Institute, who now serves as a county correction partnership consultant. Prior to the trip, Green said he and Bass along with County Commissioner Tony Luna looked at the Cantrell and Staley properties and both sites according to Bass, measured up equally in terms of suitability with the Peggy Hayes property near Walmart.
“The Steven Cantrell property on West Main Street is 33 acres and the asking price is $1.7 million. Bob (Bass) rated all the different properties as far as availability to sewer, water, how it lays, residential (proximity), what we do with it. He (Bass) rated this property and found it equal to the Hayes property. It has less residential area around it. It drains good. It has sewer, electricity, water and as far as lay of the land, it would be a good place for us to build. It would fit on it,” said Green.
“The second property we looked at is Smith Road properties. Its on Smith Road. When you turn off East Main Street go past the subdivision (Estes Street), it’s the big field on the right, across from the (Steve) Colvert property. Its 71.5 acres and the asking price is $3 million. It is already annexed in the city. It has water and sewer. It has less residential area around it for us to be concerned about and we would probably get less feedback from residences than from anywhere else. We could set it back far enough that we could isolate it from everything else. Bob (Bass) rated it equal to the Cantrell and Hayes properties as far as building. It does not have three phase power there yet, but Smithville Electric System has said this would not be a concern because it could be extended from East Main Street to the property and the cost to do that would be minimal,” he said.
With 71.5 acres, Green added that the Staley property offers more potential future county land uses. “We have room out there for doing anything with it. Five or ten years down the road we could add courtrooms, or maybe an EMS building, 911 building, ball fields, etc. Its all out there,” he said.
Meanwhile, Green said a revised offer has come in on the Hayes property. “The entire Hayes property including 38 acres is now priced at $3.6 million. They would also sell just 34 acres of the property now zoned R1- and R-2 residential for $2.7 million but they would keep the road frontage on West Broad Street. There are two properties there rated commercial. They would keep those. But we would get an easement. The first one is 100 feet wide on the west side of the C-1 property facing Highway 70 providing an entrance to the county. This easement would run parallel to residential housing and the Hayes C-1 property connecting to the R-1, R-2 property. The other easement would be 50 feet wide coming from the corner of Wade and Short Street providing a second entrance into the property,” said Green.
At one time the Hayes property seemed to be the most favored by some commissioners except for the price, but now a few members have expressed concerns about putting a jail there with it being near a residential neighborhood. Commissioner Luna said in his opinion the Hayes property would be better suited for commercial purposes.
“I have never been a fan of that property just because of the location. That’s a much better place to put a retail business. I’d rather have the taxes from the retail business than to put a justice center or jail there that we are never going to make taxes off of,” said Commissioner Luna.
Speaking about the Staley property, Commissioner Greg Matthews said he would like for the county to have the site appraised.
“I think we should get it appraised. At least we could see what the difference is between the appraisal and what they are asking. We may have to pay a little more than what it appraises but I think the 71.5 acres does offer a whole lot of future growth,” said Matthews.
Green said another site, belonging to Jerry Dwayne Foster on Allen’s Ferry Road had also been considered but it would perhaps be less desirable because the 57.59-acre site is not in the city limits and doesn’t have sewer service.
“We had looked at the Foster property, which is behind the middle school, but the sewer line is in front of the middle school and to go from the middle school you would have to go down Tiger Drive. There are two water lines beside Tiger Drive, and we would have to stay 10 feet inside that which would put us going through the middle school softball field. And according to an engineer, it would cost between $750,000 and one million dollars just to put the sewer back there. In my mind that basically eliminated that property. Plus, it’s not annexed in the city,” said Green.
Although Bass was not present during Monday night’s workshop, he has previously advised against building a new jail on the existing downtown site.
“I have never been a proponent of doing that. It’s a site that is not going to work. You could tear it down and start over and it wouldn’t work. That property will not support that size of a footprint of a jail they need today. It (jail annex) was set up as a dormitory facility with no isolation cells. They (DeKalb Jail) don’t have a cell up there to put just one person in. Refitting it (jail annex) would be so expensive, and you would lose square footage you have now,” Bass explained at January’s Jail Committee meeting.
Wherever the jail is built, Green said officials in Smith County advised that a sewer grinder pump be installed to keep the sewage from clogging up from Un flushable objects.
“Although the cost would be up to perhaps a quarter of a million dollars, Smith County strongly advised us to put in a grinder pump to help prevent things getting stopped up in the sewer. They said you could put a brick down the commode and if it flushes it will grind it,” he said.
Green said he had not negotiated with any landowner on price but believes the county commission should make a decision soon.
“I would like to see us Monday night take a vote. We are at the point now where we have pretty well identified every property that’s available. I think once we decide where we are going to build it, I think the rest of it will go pretty quickly. That’s my opinion,” said Green.
Alexandria Town Council Poised to Hire New Police Chief
by: Dwayne PageApr 02, 2025
The appointment of a new police chief and a new officer is on agenda for Tuesday night’s monthly meeting of the Alexandria Mayor and Aldermen.
The meeting will be held Tuesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. at city hall.
The naming of a new chief is scheduled to come in the wake of the firing of Chief Kenneth K.D. Smith last Thursday night, March 20.
The agenda for the meeting is as follows:
Mayor Beth Tripp to open the meeting
Roll Call
Prayer and Pledge
Approval of minutes from last meeting
Open the floor for resident input to speak on agenda items only
Appointment of a Police Chief and a new officer
Department monthly reports- Fire, Water/Sewer, Streets, Financial, Attorney, and Mayor
Unfinished business-Seay Church (James Duke Family), Engineer (Evan White)
New Business- Reserve officer to move to part time. Address sidewalks in front of the coffee shop. Change to Government software from Quickbooks. Plaque for Vester Parsley, former city attorney
Easter- set a date and time for community Easter egg hunt
Town of Alexandria Movie Night 2025 (per approval).
Adjourn