Stories from Monday, March 2, 2009

Rose Anna Rigsby, 60, of Smithville, died Saturday at DeKalb Community Hospital following a short illness. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at High Funeral Home in McMinnville with Michael Adamson officiating. Burial will follow at Morris Cemetery...

Bedford County School System still hasn't received the $23,000 it is owed by a consulting firm, because the agency which administers the federal E-Rate grant program is investigating the firm and has tied up all of the various claims against it. As the Times-Gazette reported in April 2008, Montgomery, Ala.-based eRate Consulting Services LLC apparently deposited grant funds it had applied for on the county's behalf but did not pass them along to the county. ...

Two-thirds of the respondents to a non-scientific Times-Gazette web site poll say they have replaced some or all of the incandescent light bulbs in their homes with compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs. CFLs, which are basically fluorescent bulbs twisted into a spiral so that they can occupy the same fixtures as a normal light bulb, cost more to purchase than traditional incandescent bulbs but use up to 75 percent less electricity and last far longer...

Walking Horse Advocates recently announced the National Horse Show Commission (NHSC) is moving forward with its commitment to address and correct the problems that have plagued horse training and exhibitions in the past, according to a press release from the organization...

WHITE HOUSE -- The Community Vikings' season came to an abrupt stop Saturday night in a 40-38 loss to White House-Heritage in the first round of the Region 5-A tournament. The loss ends the basketball careers of one of the most successful senior classes in school history...

ERIN -- In a contest that featured as many twists and turns as the 260-mile trip to and from the gymnasium, Cascade kept their season alive by taking down Houston County 55-50 in the opening round of the Region 5-A tournament on Saturday night. The Champions (18-9) survived seven lead changes against a much-taller Fighting Irish (15-12) squad fresh off a three-game hot streak that brought them the District 10-A title...

Twilley's back! Twilley's back! That chant was heard across the gym in the closing minutes of Shelbyville Central's 74-59 victory over visiting Cookeville in opening round play of the Region 4-AAA tournament Saturday night. Shelbyville standout point guard Deonta Twilley will return to action Tuesday night in the semifinals after completing a two-game suspension after a questionable ejection in the District 8-AAA tournament semifinals...

The Center for Family Development hosted a "Caring for the Caregiver" retreat Saturday at First Presbyterian Church in Shelbyville. More than 50 volunteers attended the program, which was presented by Catherine Self, senior vice president of Baptist Healing Trust...

A weekend snowstorm blanketed the region, closing some churches Sunday morning and Bedford County schools today. Bedford County Highway Superintendent Stanley Smotherman said this morning that while Shelbyville got about four inches, some areas of the county, including Unionville and Wartrace, got as much as eight or nine inches...