Stories from Thursday, June 7, 2007

Wallace Cartwright defeated incumbent Mayor Geneva Smith yesterday by a margin of 1,142 to 632 in City of Shelbyville elections, according to unofficial totals. Jerry Robinson was a distant third with 143 votes. All vote totals are unofficial until certified by Bedford County Election Commission, which is scheduled to meet 5 p.m. Tuesday at the election office....

Funeral services for Phillip Ray Allison Jr., 32, of Bulloch County, Ga., who died Tuesday from injuries sustained in an automobile accident, will be 2 p.m. Sunday (all times Eastern) at Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home in Statesboro, Ga. The Rev. Will Griffith will officiate and burial will follow in Deloach Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery...

The Liberty Middle baseball field is undergoing a major facelift thanks to the efforts of coach Shane Shoemake, Bedford County Sheriff Randall Boyce and a bevy of area business owners. Shoemake has taken advantage of a work-release program that allows county inmates the opportunity to utilize their work skills in a productive manner to benefit the community. ...

Chad Hunter belted a grand slam over the left field fence in the bottom of the first against Old Hickory American Legion Post 88 as part of a six-run outburst to help Shelbyville American Legion Post 23 cruise to an 18-6 win at SCHS. The early rally continued with doubles by Bryant Prater and Drew to go with Zach Miller's single...

Electronic games were the major items taken from a Maple Street residence Tuesday night. A Sony Playstation II and two controllers, Madden 2007 football game, DVD movies and $20 in change were gone when Brandi Whitfield arrived home at 1 a.m. Wednesday, police said...

The Shelbyville City Council held a brief called meeting Tuesday to award the medical insurance plan for city employees, picking BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. Last month, the council learned that HealthSpring, the current policy holder for the city, paid out $727,000 last year and only took in $559,000. City Manger Ed Craig said at the time that their proposed rate increase of 47 percent was "unacceptable."...

Four Bedford County health care providers have been awarded a total of more than $346,000 in Safety Net funding to provide services for uninsured Tennesseans. State officials say the funding is part of Gov. Phil Bredesen's efforts to strengthen the state's health care Safety Net and make primary care services more accessible to uninsured and underinsured Tennesseans...

The Tennessee Valley Region of the American Red Cross, along with other Red Cross blood programs across the nation, has a "critically low" blood supply, with less than one day's supply on hand, compared to the 72-hour supply which is considered a desired minimum level...

Taking the message of Jesus Christ to the people of Shelbyville is the mission of Elder Lincoln Gardner of Centerville, Utah, and Elder David Claridge of Thatcher, Ariz.., missionaries serving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). The LDS church, many times referred to as the Mormon Church, is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah...

The Tennessee Department of Children Services [DCS] is developing a new system for dealing with the horrid crime of child abuse that includes involvement from the local community. About 50 people involved with Bedford County's children participated in a community forum Wednesday at the Duck River Electric Membership Corporation auditorium. The effort is part of a system reform of DCS, which has faced criticism in recent years over children who slipped through the cracks...

Funeral services for Annie Lue King, 78, of Indianapolis, Ind., who died Monday, will be 1 p.m. Friday at St. Rita Catholic Church in Indianapolis. Burial will follow in Crown Hill Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Friday...

Shelbyville native Martin "Marty" Helton, 50, of Pontiac, Mich., died there Tuesday. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Riverside Chapel of Simpson-Modetz Funeral Home, Waterford, Mich. Burial will follow at Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery...