Stories from Friday, May 13, 2005

Funeral services for John Franklin Gentry, 92, of Lewisburg, who died Thursday at Marshall Medical Center in Lewisburg after an extended illness, will be 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Hillcrest Funeral Home. The Rev. George Gomez will officiate and burial will follow in Hillcrest Memorial Gardens...

A mother deserves to see the autopsy of her dead son even if she's charged with his murder because she's innocent until proven guilty and her lawyer needs the medical examiner's report to provide her with an adequate defense. That's the argument from John Norton, attorney for Mariafelix Morales, 19, of Shelbyville who's charged with reckless homicide in the Feb. 2 death of her newborn son. District Attorney Mike McCown has declined to release the autopsy...

Tears flowed as longtime Shelbyville Recreation Director Buddy Overcast was honored posthumously during the city council's May meeting on Thursday. Overcast passed away unexpectedly March 11. State Rep. Curt Cobb presented Overcast's family with a state House resolution passed by Speaker Jimmy Naifeh "in honor and appreciation for everything that Buddy Overcast has done for Shelbyville and this community."...

Bedford County Board of Commissioners deferred action Tuesday night on filling the Bedford County Board of Education seat vacated by State Sen. Jim Tracy. Tracy represented the ninth commission district on the school board but resigned last month, saying his duties in the State Senate made it difficult for him to fulfill his school board responsibilities...

Early voting for the June 2 general election begins today in the basement of the courthouse, with one contested Shelbyville City Council race, two non-contested races and a referendum on a $35 county wheel tax. Incumbent Jean Pruitt faces challenger Randy Vernon in the Fifth Ward City Council race, while First Ward council member JoAnn Holland and Third Ward council member Wallace Cartwright are running for re-election unopposed...

The second of two suspects in a Shelbyville murder case has been captured by Metro Nashville Police who report they chased him after approaching him for an interview at a public housing project where he's not a resident. Darian Mayes, 24, of Nashville, is charged by Shelbyville Police with Leslie Raydell Jones, 30, of Green Lane Apartments until his Jan. 12 arrest in the shooting death of Terry Layne "Pud" Alford who was shot to death after his door was kicked down...

After Giles County defeated Forrest 2-1 to claim the District 7-A/AA, the All-District team for the regular season was announced at Cascade High School in Wartrace. Seven Bobcats garnered honors -- Evan Baddor, Jake Hambey, Matt Hawkins, Jonathan Stafford, Keith Stafford, Armando Valdiviezo and John Wong...

Webb's trip up to the campus of Pope John Paul II in Hendersonville on Thursday for their first game in the Middle Region double elimination tournament was not as fruitful as they had hoped. Trailing 1-0, fourth-seeded Webb's Grace Iorio led off the second frame with a double and was later brought home with an infield single by Elizabeth Segroves to open up the scoring. Sarah Jennings then homered to put her team on top 2-1 in the third...