Stories from Tuesday, October 3, 2006

It is hard to believe that it has been just a little over a year since I was hired by the Times-Gazette to cover sports in Bedford County. The old adage that "time flies when you are having fun" has never been more true or more appropriately stated as it applies to my experience...

Cascade's hot streak took a sharp turn after falling 7-0 at District 11-A regular season champion Spring Hill on Monday. "We could not compete with their speed," said Lady Champion coach Patricia Petty, whose team fell to 9-3-1 overall and 5-3 in 11-A/AA. ...

Funeral services for Ora Lee Harrell Ward, 86, of Shelbyville, who died Monday at Bedford County Nursing Home, will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Hillcrest Funeral Home. The Rev. Jim Sorrells will officiate and burial will follow in Willow Mount Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be 5-9 p.m. Wednesday.

MADISON -- Who knew that learning about money could be so much fun? About 3,000 picked up on that lesson Saturday during the Total Money Makeover Live Event hosted by national radio talk show host Dave Ramsey. Using humor, multi-media and his own experiences, Ramsey laid out his plan for financial success, showing young couples starting out how to save and invest so that they may retire with no worries...

Sunday is to be a special day for James Elkins as the Town of Bell Buckle honors the retired fire chief by formally naming the new fire hall after him. The ceremony is to be held Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. The town's leaders say there is no way to ever adequately thank Elkins for his 43 years of service. He served as chief of the Bell Buckle Volunteer Fire Department from February 1950 until he retired in February of 1993...

Two Harris Middle School boys were suspended Monday for having a gun at school on Sept. 11, and while the decision was made yesterday, it was not prompted by national events, according to Bedford County's school superintendent. A man opened fire on a dozen girls in a one-room Amish schoolhouse Monday, killing five and seriously wounding five others before committing suicide 55 miles west of Philadelphia, Penn. ...

A man accused of improper actions around a 20-month-old girl fell and injured himself while eluding her angry father early Sunday. Juan Maroquin Gabriel, 22, Fairoak Street, was a dinner guest at a Shelbyville home when the sleeping girl's father noticed the door of her bedroom was closed and locked, police said...

On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a measure authored by U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon to address some of the challenges involved in developing and transitioning to alternative sources of fuel. "If our country is serious about reducing our dependence on foreign oil, we must get serious about mobilizing the infrastructure necessary to distribute and dispense the next generation of fuels," said Gordon, ranking member of the House Science Committee. ...

Funeral services for Robert Rufus Greer, 66, of Murfreesboro, who died Saturday at his home, will be noon Saturday at Bellwood Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery. The body will lie in state 6-7 p.m. Friday at H. Preston Scales & Sons Funeral Home in Murfreesboro, with family visitation 7-8 p.m. The body will also lie in state 11 a.m. until service time Saturday at the church...

Tennessee placekicker James Wilhoit and tailback LaMarcus Coker were among this week's honorees for SEC Players of the Week. Wilhoit was the special teams selection, while Coker earned the league's freshman nod. Wilhoit contributed 11 points to Saturday's win at Memphis, kicking two field goals and five extra points. ...