Stories from Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Betty Lou Esslinger, 59, of Tullahoma, died Sunday at her home. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Daves-Culberson Funeral Home in Tullahoma with Dana Ferrell officiating. Burial will follow at Hoovers Grove Cemetery. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Once again, the third quarter proved to be profitable for Harris Middle as the Eaglettes outscored Blackman 11-4 on the way to a 29-20 win at home Monday night. Trailing 11-9 at halftime, the Eaglettes (4-0) took control of the game, thanks to an aggressive defense and a pair of 3-pointers by Amy Beth McGowan...

Some teams, no matter the talent level or experience, just seem to find a way to win when a particular foe pops up on the schedule. Moore County's had their foot on the chest of the Cascade Lady Champions for some time now, including three wins last season. That stronghold continued on Monday night as the visiting Raiderettes rallied from an early 12-point deficit to win 54-44...

A back-and-forth contest ended with Cascade holding on late to a 45-40 win over rival Moore County in Wartrace on Monday night. "It's been a little while since we've been able to come up on the 'W' side of this rivalry," Cascade coach Charlie Pope said. "A lot of our guys stepped up and provided some minutes, did some various things."...

The Community Viqueens scored the first 14 points of the game and never looked back as they cruised to a 47-26 road victory against Bedford County foe Webb on Monday evening. Marissa Jones opened the game with two 3-pointers in a three-minute span and Heather Small added another shortly thereafter to pace the Purple and Gold to an 11-0 lead leading into the second period...

It was a game of runs in a well played and heartily contested contest between Webb and Community in Bell Buckle in front of a loud, well entertained crowd. The Vikings earned a 52-46 win with a strong fourth quarter despite playing from behind the whole night...

November is a time for giving thanks, but it is also National Epilepsy Awareness Month -- a time to raise awareness for a currently incurable disease. State and federal legislation was passed this year to improve the quality of life and rights of people with epilepsy...

Shelbyville's codes department wants to work with the owners of dilapidated homes around the city to give them more time to comply with instructions to bring down the structures. Codes director Kip Green said the city wants to give more leeway to property owners who are cooperating and "are being more patient with our process" of starting demolition...

Several members of the Habitat Ball committee gathered for lunch Monday to discuss details of the upcoming event, which benefits Bedford Builds Habitat for Humanity. This marks the 11th year for the Habitat Ball, which will be held Feb. 14 at the Blue Ribbon Club on the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration grounds...

Christmas time is approaching, which means it's time for a holiday tradition to continue in Shelbyville -- A Celebration Christmas will begin tonight. "The holiday light show is our gift to the community for what they do for us all year," said Celebration CEO Doyle Meadows. "The people of our community and the surrounding area work so hard to help us make The Celebration such a terrific event, it seems right for us to add to their holiday season."...

Mary K. 'Mae' Wade, 89, of Chicago, formerly of Christiana, died Tuesday at Boulevard Terrace Rehab and Nursing Center in Murfreesboro. Funeral services will be at noon Saturday at Feldhaus Memorial Chapel. Frederick Wade will officiate, with burial to follow at Willow Mount Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday.