Stories from Saturday, June 3, 2006

WARTRACE -- MusicFest faced rain Friday night, but the sky cleared in time for its first night's performances so the fledgling festival could begin with a dramatic sunset and lyrics of faith, yearning, craftsmanship and love. "The Wartrace MusicFest is an expression of our community's love of music and craftsmanship," according to a joint statement from Mayor Don Gallagher and Philip Gentry, president of the Wartrace Chamber of Commerce...

Bedford County Board of Commissioners' budget and finance committee began work last month on the 2006-2007 budget by hearing requests from various non-profit agencies to which the county contributes. Here's a rundown of what is being requested: ...

Edith Frances Newsom, 93, of Guntersville, Ala., died Friday at Marshall Medical Center in Alabama. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Friendship Baptist Church in Flat Creek, where she was a member, with Dr. Ray Sorrells officiating. Burial will follow at Rosebank Cemetery...

Funeral services for Margaret Joyce Green, 89, of Wartrace, who died Friday at Lynchburg Nursing Center after an extended illness, will be 2 p.m. Tuesday at Hillcrest Fiuneral Home with Curt Wagoner officiating. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens...

Randy Philpott, 51, of Shelbyville died Thursday at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Feldhaus Memorial Chapel with Jim Thompson officiating. Burial will follow at Burns Cemetery.

The husband of the woman found murdered May 23 near Deason was charged Friday with first degree murder in her death. Rafael Jennings, 45, allegedly shot his wife, Rita Jennings, 36, once in the head in their home on the Joy Vail Allman property, Detective James Bonner of the Bedford County Sheriff's Department said...

It speaks well of Bedford County's athletic programs that so many student-athletes populate college rosters in a variety of sports. Shelbyville Central graduate Jonathan White is a redshirt freshman outfielder for the Vanderbilt University baseball team playing in the NCAA regional tournament in Atlanta...

Bedford County Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell last week handed down sentences to four men in separate cases on charges of evading arrest and violation of the law requiring sex offenders to register their addresses with police. In a separate case on Thursday, Judge Russell accepted the guilty plea of Brian Aaron Dykes, 28, who'd been living in the Union Ridge area east of Wartrace last winter when he was charged with violating the sex offender registry law...