Stories from Wednesday, April 5, 2006

Funeral services for Minnie Bell Fitzgerald, 61, who died Monday at Marshall Medical Center in Lewisburg, will be 1 p.m. Saturday at Greater First Baptist Church in Lewisburg. Burial will follow in Clay Hill Cemetery in Chapel Hill.

Well, my little handful is growing up. She'll be 4 years old in September and is surprising me every day with her views of the world. I'm always in awe of the extensive vocabulary (good and bad) she picks up along the way, although her pronunciation could use some work...

I have a question that some people are not going to like. Why is it OK that thousands upon thousands of immigrant students can get away with walking out of class while waving a flag of a foreign country, but if a single kid that is a citizen of this nation wears a T-shirt or anything else bearing the Confederate flag, he or she is kicked out of school and labeled a racist?...

As more brick pavers were being placed Tuesday at the Veterans Memorial Plaza on Shelbyville's Public Square, the chairman of the Veterans Council of Bedford County said a number of bricks must be replaced. "Ten of 1,111 bricks," said Roy Bartlette, who's also commander of American Legion Post 23. "That's pretty darned good" for the faithful reproduction of the unique inscriptions requested for each of the bricks purchased to fund the plaza...

Cascade starting pitcher Tyler Bowman picked up where his teammates left off as he tossed a no-hitter against county rival Community in a 10-0 District 9-A win on Tuesday afternoon. Bowman struck out 10 Vikings without issuing a walk in five innings pitched after Levi Bain and MoMo Stewart combined for seven hitless frames on Monday. Bowman needed just 55 pitches to pick up the victory and faced only 16 batters...

A Shelbyville man faces a drug charge after his truck was stopped because its passengers weren't wearing seat belts, police say. Everette Eukenta Patton, 28, Ridgeway Avenue, was charged with simple possession and driving on a suspended license. "An off-white rock-like substance that field tested positive for cocaine" was found in the seat of the truck, Officer Josh Leverette said...

The Shelbyville Municipal Airport has received an Aeronautics Grant in the amount of $90,000 that will go toward replacing the roof on a hangar at that facility. The grant is a 50/50 split, according to airport manager Hank Williamson. The new roof will go onto a community hanger that houses 12 aircraft on one end and a jet in the other, he said...

After a tough stretch of road matches, Webb fell 17-3 to top-ranked Montgomery Bell Academy at Imre Lagler Field on Tuesday. The Big Red (8-1) jumped on the Feet early with seven goals in the first quarter before taking a 10-1 lead into halftime. Webb managed a goal in each of the final two quarters but it wouldn't be enough...

Shelbyville Central showed no signs of rust in their first soccer match in two weeks as they took down host Lawrence County 4-1 in the Golden Eagles' first of six straight District 8-AAA contests. Shelbyville's Javier Hernandez took an assist from Andrew Gordon for the first goal of the match. Gordon put one of his own into the back of the net before Tyler Miller scored off a corner kick to cap the first-half scoring...

A special study session will be held Tuesday by the Shelbyville City Council to discuss two tax issues with the county. The council met already last week to talk about the issue; however, the discussion was deferred until all members could attend. The meeting will be in the courtroom of the police department starting at 6 p.m...

A Bedford County man faces a hearing Thursday that could revoke his probation before he's even served a week of his jail time, according to court records and his attorney. James Joshua Parker, 29, was to start a four-year term at 8 p.m. Sunday since his conviction on a theft charge on March 2 when Judge Lee Russell approved a prosecutor's recommendation for a split term of 120 days in jail followed by three years and nine months on probation...

President Bush has authorized increased funding for low income household power bills, but Congressman Bart Gordon says the money is from next year's budget, thereby threatening the program next winter. About 550 households in Bedford County have had energy bills paid through the Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The residents were qualified for help by the South Central Tennessee Human Resource Agency, headquartered in Fayetteville...

To say that the Eagles let one slip away is a major understatement. Shelbyville Central led 6-0 after three innings in a key District 8-AAA contest at home Tuesday afternoon against rival Tullahoma only to see the Wildcats respond for seven unanswered runs over the next four innings to edge the Eagles 7-6...

Representatives of the Tennessee Titans, including "Voice of the Titans" Mike Keith; mascot T-Rac; two members of the Titans cheerleading squad; and a player to be announced later this month, will attend a May 5 fund-raising luncheon in Shelbyville to benefit United Way of Bedford County...

A first-inning defensive lapse with the bases loaded by the Lady Feet proved costly as host University School of Nashville put six runners across the plate in the frame and held on for a 9-2 win. "Basically, it was by far the most embarrassing loss since I've been the head coach at Webb," Lady Feet coach James Garcia said. "It just shows how far we have to go and how hard we have to work."...

For the second time in two weeks, Shelbyville Central bounced back from a District 8-AAA loss at home with a huge victory on the road. The Eaglettes claimed a 2-1 district win over host Columbia Central on Tuesday afternoon. The win comes after a disappointing loss at home Monday night against district foe Lawrence County...

Shelbyville Central's girls remain undefeated after an impressive 5-2 win Tuesday, but the Eagles fell 4-3 for their first defeat Tuesday at Tullahoma. Eaglette Amie Anthony put in a gutsy performance, defeating Chandler Lawson 8-5 despite playing with an injury. Andrea Barrett beat Sara Decosta 9-7 in one of the longest and best played best matches of the day...

Webb's tennis teams rolled over Middle Tennessee Christian in Bell Buckle on Tuesday by winning every match. Will Chewning and Elliot Jones of the Feet continue to build momentum as a doubles team, as do Bailey Haile and Teresa Castellon for the girls team...

Funeral services for Valcour E. Williams of Los Angeles, Calif., formerly of Shelbyville, were held Tuesday at Rose Hill Funeral Home in Whittier, Calif. A committal service will be held 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Mt. Ararat Cemetery in Shelbyville. Feldhaus Memorial Chapel is in charge of local arrangements...

Funeral services for Claire A. Tillett, 91, of Shelbyville, who died April 1 at Glen Oaks Convalescent Center, will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Feldhaus Memorial Chapel. The Rev. Bryan Elliott will officiate and burial will follow in Willow Mount Cemetery...