Natural Disasters

Fire Academy to hold graduation Friday (05/05/08)
Recruits from Shelbyville Fire Department will be standing tall Friday as they officially complete their training at the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy on Unionville-Deason Road. State Fire Marshal and Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Leslie A. Newman will deliver the commencement address to the recruit firefighter class at the Academy at 9 a.m....

Man struck, killed in front yard (04/28/08)
A Unionville-area man is dead, struck by a vehicle while standing in his front yard Monday, and the man accused of causing the wreck is spending the night in Bedford County Jail. Robert "Bobby" Brown, 69, U.S. 41-A North, Unionville, died a few minutes after the mid-afternoon accident. A LifeFlight helicopter was en route to Bedford County Medical Center but Brown was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital...

Head-on crash takes life (04/28/08)
A head-on collision on a narrow, rural road left a Bedford County man dead and another seriously injured Monday morning. William Howard Cooper, 81, Possom Trot Road, died about 9:15 a.m. at the scene on Sandusky Road shortly after the impact drove the passenger side of the truck in which he was riding into a guard rail....

Thief enters home, departs with $8 (04/28/08)
A home on Kingdom Road in northern Bedford County was entered while the occupants were in bed early Friday morning. Only $8 was taken from one room, according to a report filed by Cpl. Kent Jacobs of the Bedford County Sheriff's Department. The screen was torn from a front window to gain entry...

Unionville man dies following three-vehicle crash (04/26/08)
A Unionville man died Friday following a three-vehicle crash at a dangerous Shelbyville intersection. Allen Haynes, 71, of U.S. 41-A North, was pronounced dead on arrival at Bedford County Medical Center, Maj. Jan Phillips of the Shelbyville Police Department said...

$21 million is possible cost of Normandy project (04/26/08)
With one eye on the current drought and the other eye on future flooding, the Tennessee Duck River Development Agency will soon be requesting feasibility studies for solutions -- one of which could be raising the pool level at Normandy Dam 5 feet -- which would mean construction work to raise the actual dam and replace the spillway gates...

A big bang at the Fire Academy (04/25/08)
If you think you hear explosions around Bedford County next week, there isn't anything to be worried about. "Post blast training" is to be conducted at the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy (TFACA) on Unionville-Deason Road by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) next week for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) in preparation for possible deployment...

Utility plan for BCNH will cut costs (04/24/08)
Bedford County Nursing Home presented a plan Tuesday night to the county's Financial Management Committee which will allow it to separate its utility services from the Bedford County Medical Center building. Earlier this year, some county officials, hearing that it would cost up to $50,000 per month to operate the boiler which serves both buildings, were concerned that the nursing home would become a drain on county finances once the hospital moves to a new location this summer. ...

Community Closet needs new building (04/24/08)
For much of the past year, the Community Closet at 405 Depot St. has been helping out the less fortunate by feeding and clothing those in dire straits. Now, the organization itself needs the community's help. The building used by the Closet's volunteers has been sold and they have to be out by the first of July...

Shelbyville bank robbed; suspect escapes (04/23/08)
The thief who robbed First Community Bank's Madison Street branch at mid-afternoon today (Tuesday) may have gotten away red-handed -- literally. A red dye bomb within a money bag taken in the robbery exploded less than 100 yards away behind the bank, police said...

Pipeline, higher dam among water supply ideas (04/22/08)
Alternatives on how to avoid water shortages due to drought are to be explored at Henry Horton State Park on Thursday when the Duck River Agency Board of Directors convenes for its quarterly meeting. One of the ideas is to have a pipe to transfer water from Tims Ford Lake, which is fed by the Elk River, to the Duck River below the Normandy Lake dam to maintain river flow through Shelbyville as well as water reserves for the utility serving Tullahoma and Manchester, according to the river agency's executive director and chairman of the board.. ...

Blackburn rallies local GOP (04/21/08)
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn stressed energy, the economy and national security during a speech Saturday night at the annual Bedford County Republican Party banquet. The banquet was held at the Blue Ribbon Circle on the Celebration grounds. Blackburn said the party's losses in 2006 were the result of a loss of focus on key messages...

Tyson says it has corrected sewage issue (03/27/08)
Problems with Tyson Foods' sewage treatment facility at its chicken processing plant in Shelbyville have been corrected, according to company officials. Last Feburary, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) issued a notice of violation to Tyson Foods' environmental office in Shelbyville, stating that the plant's sewage treatment facility discharged effluent into the Duck River with levels of ammonia greater than allowed by the plant's permit...

Tyson CEO says ethanol will lead to higher food costs (03/27/08)
When Dick Bond says that the price of food will soon go up due to increased ethanol production, you'd best listen to him. He should know: he's the president and CEO of Tyson Foods. Bond paid a rare visit to the Shelbyville poultry complex Wednesday to tour the facility and meet with plant management as well as officials from around Bedford County...

Cost control emphasized to county officials (03/21/08)
Cost control and record-keeping were stressed during a meeting Thursday of the county's department heads. The quarterly luncheon meeting was held Thursday at the Bedford County Emergency Management Agency building on Railroad Avenue. It included the presentation of bonus checks to the staff of Bedford County Zoning Office for their cost-saving measures...

Marijuana discovered during traffic stop (03/21/08)
The driver of a car initially stopped due to a defective taillight was charged with possession of marijuana after a vehicle search Wednesday night. Michelle Lynn Andrus, 21, Shelbyville Mills Road, was stopped by Officer David Curley in the parking lot of a Madison Street bar, As a computer check showed her license had been revoked for DUI, Andrus allegedly told a waitress who was checking on the commotion that she would "have to be arrested for DUI."...

Two churches step up for disaster relief (03/20/08)
Last year, Bedford County Emergency Management Agency began working with area churches to provide short-term shelter locations where people could ride out a severe storm in safety. But those shelters are only meant for a few hours, until severe weather has passed. What happens in the event of a major disaster, like the tornadoes that struck Tennessee in February, when a substantial number of people lose their homes all at once?...

Trucker charged in serious wreck (03/20/08)
The truck driver accused of causing an eight-vehicle pileup March 12 on Madison Street has been charged with reckless endangerment. Teresa K. McInnis, 46, of Morrison was arrested after arriving at Shelbyville police headquarters Tuesday to pick up a copy of the accident report...