Shelbyville Times-Gazette: News

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Ritch sentenced to 39 months (02/09/10)
CHATTANOOGA -- Saying he would spend the rest of his life paying back those he harmed, home developer Roger Ritch was sentenced to 39 months in federal prison on Monday. U.S. District Judge Harry S. Mattice Jr. sentenced a tearful Ritch to the three-year, three-month term for his involvement in a scheme which resulted in 61 Shelbyville families losing their homes through foreclosure and lenders suffering significant losses...

Scouts' Honor (02/09/10)
When dozens of Cub and Boy Scouts gathered at the National Guard Armory on Saturday to celebrate the Boy Scouts of America's 100th Anniversary, the event was about more than the history of Scouting. It was about the future, too. Duran Shavers has been involved in Scouting since he was 8 years old -- more than half of the century the organization is celebrating. Now the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 390, he sees continuity in the young faces...

Wartrace water change still delayed by weather (02/09/10)
Freezing temperatures and wet weather have again delayed Wartrace's conversion to the Tullahoma Utilities Board water supply, "We have to have a couple of days over 40 degrees and dry," said Mayor Don Gallagher at the Monday night meeting of the Wartrace Board of Mayor and Aldermen. "We're looking five days out on the forecast and it doesn't look good."...

TennCare cuts could hit hospitals (02/09/10)
Gov. Phil Bredesen's proposed cuts to the state's expanded Medicaid program would cost state hospitals hundreds of millions of dollars and may force some of them to shut down, health care officials say. TennCare is the name for Tennessee's program using federal Medicaid dollars....

Authorities take child after marijuana discovered in home (02/09/10)
A 3-month-old boy was removed from a Shelbyville apartment Saturday after marijuana was discovered, Shelbyville police said. Police were called when a Child Protective Services investigator noticed the marijuana while following up on a referral at the home of Gary Clayton Loyer, 25, Landers Street, Officer Justin Smith's report said...

Professionals return to class as teachers (02/07/10)
The Teach Tennessee program attempts to deal with shortages in math, science and foreign language teachers by giving mid-career professionals a fast-track way to get into teaching. It's a combination that educators say benefits everyone involved. Debbie Sudduth, the daughter of the late Bedford County educator and administrator Bill Holland, pursued a minor in secondary education when she first attended Middle Tennessee State University but kept being assigned to kindergarten classes, which weren't her passion. ...

Power system foots bill for board members' insurance (02/07/10)
Shelbyville's power board was again a topic of discussion for the city council -- this time over the fact that the five members get their insurance paid for by the power system. At the end of Tuesday night's study session, councilman Thomas Landers told members of the city council they had "opened a can of worms ... a big one" by bringing up the topic of term limits for the power board last month...

Federal case against Bell confusing for all sides (02/07/10)
The case involving former Shelbyville banker Ron Bell turned out to be a confusing one, both for investigators and the federal judge who passed sentence in the case on Monday. Bell pleaded guilty last October to charges of making a false entry in bank records while he was employed at Regions Bank, waiving indictment and arraignment...

Back Packs fill needy students over weekends (02/05/10)
There will be 30 to 40 fewer hungry children this weekend thanks to a new program developed by the Bedford County Department of Education Student Services. The Back Pack Program will send small, drawstring "cinch sacks" home with children in need, and each sack will contain at least 10 food items -- two for breakfast, four protein or meal items, and four fruit or fruit juice items...

Homicide charge in wreck may disappear (02/05/10)
A young woman charged with reckless homicide has reached an agreement with prosecutors and will appear in court next month to have her sentence passed. Shelby Lynn Tyson was indicted last month by the Bedford County grand jury on the charges, which stems from an accident in December 2008 that took the life of Ahmed Ali Elmi, 31, of Nashville...

Suspect charged in headlock death (02/05/10)
April 1 will be the day a Shelbyville man will decide to either go to trial or make a plea on charges of reckless homicide. Meanwhile, his defense attorney has stated that "interesting things" have been discovered in the case. Matthew Wayne Patterson made his first appearance Thursday in Bedford County Circuit Court before Judge Lee Russell for his arraignment and to have his disposition date set...

Smith seeks re-election as Circuit Court Clerk (02/05/10)
Thomas A. Smith has announced his candidacy for re-election as Bedford County Circuit Court Clerk in the May 4 Democratic primary. Smith's duties include serving as the clerk for Circuit Court, General Sessions Court and Juvenile Court for the county. He is a 1988 graduate of the County Officials' Certificate Training Program and a member of the Middle Tennessee Clerks' Association...

Council sifts through city manager applications (02/04/10)
Shelbyville's city council is apparently still going through the many applications for the vacant city manger slot. City recorder Betty Lamb said during Tuesday's evening's study session that she had sent copies of the applications for the job to the council and that she was waiting on their response...

Music in the air (02/04/10)
Are you comfortable singing in front of a large audience? Well, could you do it ... hanging upside down? Joanna McMenamin can. The Australian and her Ukranian husband, Vlad, are among the acts in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus production of "Illuscination," which will visit Calsonic Arena Feb. 12-14...

Ray receives Unity honor (02/04/10)
MURFREESBORO -- Bedford County Mayor Eugene Ray was one of three honorees at Middle Tennessee State University's annual Unity Luncheon, a kickoff event for the school's Black History Month observance. Murfreesboro School board chair Mary McKnight Wade and foster parent Nora L. ...

Snow vacation ends: Students back in schools (02/03/10)
Bedford County's 7,800 elementary and high school students and nearly 1,000 school system employees returned to school today after three days out for winter weather. School Superintendent Ed Gray said on Tuesday that there were still some roads in the Rover area with frozen precipitation, but it was possible to coordinate bus routes to avoid those areas or minimize the risk...

Prosecutors seek harsh sentence for Ritch (02/03/10)
Federal prosecutors have blasted a recent defense motion on behalf of Roger Ritch, asking for a harsh sentence for the home builder and calling Ritch's stated motives for his involvement in the multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme "ludicrous" and "laughable."...

Blighted structures may be coming down (02/03/10)
Shelbyville will be getting ready to tear down a number of blighted structures soon. Last August, the city council approved action to work out the prices and acquire these properties under the Neighborhood Stabilization Housing Grant that Shelbyville in 2009...

Boyce seeks re-election as sheriff (02/03/10)
Randall Boyce has announced his candidacy for re-election as Bedford County Sheriff in the May 4 Democratic primary. He was first elected sheriff in 2006. Boyce, a Bedford County native, lives in Wheel. He has two children and three grandchildren. He is a certified law enforcement officer with numerous in-service hours...

DUI suspect said she couldn't drive (02/03/10)
Bonnie Loretta Keys told Shelbyville police she didn't know how to drive. But she tried anyway Monday despite being drunk, police said, resulting in an injured 5-year-old daughter and a wrecked truck. Keys, 43, of Tate Avenue was arrested after the accident, which police said occurred in a field across the street from her home. ...

Icy aftermath (02/02/10)

Bell receives probation in loan case (02/02/10)
CHATTANOOGA -- Ronald Bell, a former Shelbyville bank branch manager, was sentenced to three years probation by a federal judge on Monday. Bell pleaded guilty last October to charges of making a false entry in bank records while he was employed at Regions Bank in Shelbyville, waiving indictment and arraignment...

Zoning change urged for South Main land (02/02/10)
Shelbyville's planning commission recommended amending the city's land use plan Thursday to change an area from low to high density residential to reflect the actual current use in the region. Planners and engineers for the city recommended that an area between South Main and South Jefferson Streets, described as "a triangle shaped plot," be amended as high density residential...

Bredesen: Use reserves to take edge off cuts (02/02/10)
NASHVILLE -- Gov. Phil Bredesen said Monday night that he plans to use the state's reserves to spare some state jobs and key services but he stressed that painful cuts will be unavoidable and hundreds of state employees may be laid off. The Democratic governor detailed his plans during his eighth and final State of the State address...

Two men charged with stealing vehicle's CD player (02/02/10)
Two men were caught while allegedly burglarizing a vehicle early Sunday outside Absolute Auto Repair, Holland Street, Shelbyville police said. Matthew Bradley Burdette, 18, Purdy Court, and Michael Scott Shipley, 32, Shelbyville Mills Road, were charged with auto burglary and possession of burglary tools. They are being held on $11,500 bond each at Bedford County Jail...