Stories from Wednesday, June 7, 2006

There are two sayings that come to mind as I begin to write this. One is "down for the count" and the other is "down and out." It's time for the paw paws to pause, as the Solemn Old Judge used to say. I have told some people who said they hoped I would continue to write "Scraps of Poplin" that I wanted to continue as long as I was able to, or as long as the newspaper would let me. ...

Things I learned on my summer vacation: Never, ever place something under pressure and/or flammable in your car on a hot day. This is a lesson painfully learned by some poor soul from Louisiana, who was parked next to us at the end of a camping weekend in Marion County...

My daughter, Jordan, was finally asleep and the house was quiet so I decided to flip through the May issue of Woman's Day magazine. To be honest, I couldn't really remember if I'd already looked at it or not... But, the cover advertised a diet that you could "eat whatever you wanted" and I thought - "all right!"...

It happens about once a year and it's been happening this week on three roads in Shelbyville. Old power lines are being replaced with bigger wires to meet the increasing demand for electricity. Shelbyville Power, Water and Sewerage General Manager David Crowell explained the colorful ropes being strung by a contractor Tuesday from one utility pole to another on Union Street...

The woman allegedly shot in the head by her husband in their home at Deason late last month was trying to leave the man she'd married several months earlier, according to relatives who spoke at Bedford County Courthouse on Tuesday morning. "She even said she was going to leave him," Theresa Sewell of Murfreesboro said of her slain daughter, Rita Jennings, 36, who last winter married Rafael Jennings, 44. ...

Shelbyville's planning commission reversed a previous vote Tuesday and approved the preliminary plat for Stone's Throw subdivision, which has been the center of a lawsuit between the city and its developer. However, one citizen said she would hold the commission responsible for any accidents that occur in that area due to increased traffic...

Seth Carter put his name on top of all others by setting a world record and upping his Tennessee state record by bench pressing 534 1/2 pounds in the World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters Southeastern meet on Saturday in Gadsden, Ala. The performance by Carter came in the age 16-19, 259-pound class. The next closest competitor maxed out at 446 pounds...

It was an afternoon with a slight hint of revenge in the air as former Cascade pitcher Jeffrey Comstock picked up a victory on the mound for the Middle Tennessee Mudcats against former District 9-A rival and Forrest hurler Mikie Minor and the Brentwood Bulldogs...

Shelbyville American Legion Post 23 split a doubleheader against host Columbia American Legion Post 19 on Tuesday. In Shelbyville's 4-3 win in the nightcap, a Jordan Cooper double highlighted a four-run first inning to give Post 23 all the scores they would need...

Funeral services for James Ira White, 98, of Wheel, who died Tuesday at his home after an extended illness, will be 4 p.m. Thursday at Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church in Wheel. The Rev. Leslie Tomlin and the Rev. Glenn Forsee will officiate and burial will follow in Mt. Lebanon Cemetery. Lawrence Funeral Home in Chapel Hill is in charge of arrangements...