Stories from Saturday, December 1, 2007

MURFREESBORO -- If the Community Vikings and Middle Tennessee Christian's Cougars are going to finish in the bottom of the District 9-A standings as some so-called experts predict, then it's going to be a lot of fun to see how it all plays out as the season progresses...

The Bicentennial Organizing Committee's "Celebration of Christmas Past" kicked off Saturday night on the square, with County Mayor Eugene Ray delivering words of welcome and pianist Chris Keller providing the music.

Richard Julius Steioff, 71, of Shelbyville died Saturday at Alive Hospice at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Feldhaus Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Jeff Faulk officiating. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. Visitation with the family will be 4-8 p.m. Saturday.

Graveside services for Floyd Wesley Roberson, 77, of Shelbyville, who died Friday at Bedford County Medical Center, will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Hopper Cemetery in Marshall County. Dr. Kevin Minchey will officiate. Visitation with the family will be 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Lawrence Funeral Home, Chapel Hill. Lawrence Funeral Home in Chapel Hill is in charge of arrangements.

MURFREESBORO -- It's always a wild ride when the Community Viqueens and Middle Tennessee Christian Lady Cougars load it up into the chute. Eleven lead changes, a gym so packed as to ensure a fire marshal's nightmare, 48 free throw attempts, six players in double figures offensively, and umpteen jump ball calls on wildly physical scrambles left the standing room-only crowd as exhausted as the players at game's end Friday night...

Will that be with sausage or pepperoni? Although those in attendance in Wartrace weren't fed a free slice of pizza like some colleges do their fans after their teams reach the century mark, they were treated to a display of total domination as homestanding Cascade dismantled Boyd Christian 106-50 on Friday evening...

Cascade overcame a lackluster start shooting the basketball by their own standards thanks in large part to a suffocating defense and won their District 9-A opener 65-22 over visiting Boyd Christian. The Lady Champions defended the entire court for parts of the contest and flew to the ball in their half-court set to hold the Lady Broncos to a total of six field goals with no ladies netting more than six points...

Webb turned up the defensive pressure early and held on late for a 42-39 win over Middle Region rival University School of Nashville on Friday night. After falling behind 11-6 in the first quarter, the Feet made their foes pay for every mistake in the second stanza to enter the break up 18-14...

Webb fell behind 10-0 in the first three minutes of their Middle Region opener against University School of Nashville at the Barton Athletic Center on Friday night. A pair of free throws by Zola Quao with 4:58 left in the opening frame ended that run and started one for the Lady Feet that left them tied with their visitors at 12-all early in the second quarter...

Three jailers have been dismissed and one suspended following a mock "fashion show," including a bikini made from a sweatshirt, put on by women in Bedford County Jail. The trusties involved have had their privileges revoked. "Obviously, they exercised very poor judgment," District Attorney Chuck Crawford said Friday night, but he referred further questions about the matter to Sheriff Randall Boyce and his department administrator, Larry Lowman. ...

Throughout time, great lines have been credited to men and women as parting sentiments. For good or bad, the simple words uttered mark the character for life. My grandfather often said that in the heat of battle or argument, one should not "let your mouth get ahead of your money." Wise words for those who might literally be cutting off a nose to spite a face!...

A couple of clarifications must be made about last Sunday's column. Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, Director of American Center for Democracy, who was one of the subjects of Sunday's piece wrote to say that the film on YouTube titled "The Libel Tourist" was initiated, funded and produced by the Moving Picture Institute, and not by Ehrenfeld herself...

Charges have been filed against four persons accused of attempting to rob the construction supervisor of the new Bedford County Medical Center while smashing his truck with a baseball bat late Thursday afternoon. Witnesses told Deputy Caleb Doak four persons in a tan Ford Explorer began attacking the truck occupied by Jeffrey E. Truelove, 60, Franklin, at the hospital construction site on U.S. 231 North...