Stories from Thursday, September 18, 2008

My husband always says it is best to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. I usually don't agree with this pessimistic attitude; I tend to hope for the best -- and expect it -- but last weekend, I became a pessimist. After not seeing Jack for weeks, I drove to the airport Saturday afternoon to pick up my long-distance husband, who had just finished a three-week work rotation near Buffalo, N.Y. ...

The tall, slender, young Somali man ordered fried chicken -- appropriate, considering his likely employment at Tyson Foods -- at the convenience store counter the other night. I was behind him, waiting to make my purchase. He politely told me to go on ahead of him, despite the fact he was there first. I motioned for him to go ahead...

There were lots of reasons for Lynnville's Ron Hall to get involved with Andalusian horses, including the five he's bringing to the Open Andalusian/Lusitano Regional Championship at Calsonic Arena this weekend. "They're smart and gentle and easy to work with," said the owner of Celtic Cross Andalusians, then laughed. "And I was tired of getting hurt."...

Logistical problems with a Nashville demolition company have delayed the destruction of a condemned building on East Depot Street until next week, city officials say. According to planning and codes director Kip Green, work is now scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Monday...

Three of four female suspects accused of an alleged jailhouse rape had their first court date Wednesday and will return to court next month. Evetta Mai McGee, 23, was charged with rape and Kelley Nicole Dodson and Brandy Michelle Holden are both facing charges of criminal responsibility for facilitation of a felony...

When most students sneak a day off campus, they can be found at the lake, the mall or the movies. Not Webb School students. Instead of soaking up some late summer sun Wednesday morning, they were pulling weeds, planting shrubs, painting -- doing whatever needed to be done to beautify Bell Buckle...

A driver being pursued by a Shelbyville police officer was seriously injured Wednesday night when he lost control of his truck, hit a utility pole and overturned on Union Street. Charles D. "Moto" Farrar, 39, of Shelbyville, was flown from the scene to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville by LifeFlight helicopter. He was listed in critical condition this morning, a VUMC spokesperson said...

Edwin D. Bogle, 76, of Harriman, a former Shelbyville resident, died Monday. Funeral services, with military honors, will be held tonight at 6 EDT at Mountain Cremation and Burial in Kingston with the Rev. Ronnie Nickells officiating. Burial will follow at 10 a.m. Friday at Kingston Memorial Gardens.

It will be Region 5-A football at its finest when Cascade and Community, Bedford County brothers and long time rivals in the athletic arena, square off at The Stable on Friday night in Wartrace. The Champions (3-0, 2-0 5-A) came within just a few points of being ranked in the top ten in the state in recent polls. They beat Clarksville Academy 34-15 on the road last week but were admittedly lethargic in the first half against their winless opponent...

The last two weeks of picking games were relatively easy, but this week will begin to separate the men from the boys. I gained the lead on sports editor Danny Parker last week with my top upset pick of South Florida over Kansas. He pulled for the Jayhawks and missed it. We both missed the Notre Dame win over Michigan, but nailed the rest of them...

A key for any young team in the early stages of their regular season schedule is to improve from game to game and learn from mistakes. Community's opponent Wednesday afternoon came to Unionville with nine more matches under their belt and with roughly seven times as many kids to choose from in their student body...