Stories from Friday, August 1, 2008

Workers at Tyson Foods' poultry processing plant in Shelbyville will no longer have a paid day off on Labor Day, but will instead take the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in the fall. A recent press release from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) stated that a new contract at the Shelbyville facility "implements a new holiday to accommodate the ... Muslim workers at the plant."...

A 15-year-old Community School student drowned near the Halls Mill bridge off Halls Mill Road at mid-afternoon Friday after swimming into a deep area of Duck River, the Bedford County Sheriff's Department said. Bryan Leverette, Hopkins Bridge Road, was found by divers Deputy Jimmy Rhodes and Brian Bruce of Bedford County EMS at 8:20 p.m. His body was in seven-foot deep water near a bank, the BCSD said...

There's one thing that's always certain. As summer winds down and nears an end, the start of high school football is lurking in the shadow. High school football players across the state strapped on the pads this week. Shelbyville Central went through two-a-days earlier this week with approximately 60 players dressed out on the varsity and 25-30 freshmen...

I've never had to pull my water from a well, but my mom did. She told me one time she would always have to leave a little water in the bottom of the bucket to throw back. If she didn't, the well would remain dry. If she returned that little bit of water, more would begin to flow...

The hot and humid weather that followed Wednesday's rain storm in Unionville didn't stop Stephen Givens from gaining the attention of the 50-plus musically inclined students who stood below him. "Keep (your flute) held up right," the spirited director joked with one student. "As you can see, the paper is here taking pictures, and you don't want everyone to see you like that, do you?"...

Celebration CEO Doyle Meadows announced Thursday that Jennifer Davis has been released from the judging panel for the 70th Annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. Her release comes on the heels of a violation of the National Horse Show Commission rule that does not allow horses to be shown in front of a judge who has shown that horse within the previous 30 days...

Funeral arrangements for Marshall Brothers, 82, of Bell Buckle, who died this morning at Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro, are incomplete and will be announced by Feldhaus Memorial Chapel.

Robert L. Fears, 96, of Shelbyville died Wednesday at Heritage Medical Center. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Hillcrest Funeral Home with the Rev. Jimmy Gray officiating. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. today.