Stories from Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Another birthday come and gone. Whee. I'm not one of those who whines about getting older -- as the saying goes, it beats the alternative -- but I really don't like my birthday. My little brother's is on July 2, so he always got fireworks for his celebration. But the end of February? I got colds...

What do all these men -- truckers, farmers, businessmen, sons, fathers and husbands -- have in common? They look divine in Dior. Okay, maybe "divine" is stretching it a bit, almost as much as the Dior gets stretched. What these men, contestants in the Wheelbillys Relay For Life Womanless Pageant, have in common is they aren't afraid to sacrifice their dignity for a good cause -- and a lot of laughs. ...

One sock, two sock, red sock, blue sock, orange sock, green sock -- Wacky socks, shoes and jeans abounded at Eakin Primary School Tuesday in honor of Dr. Seuss' books "Fox in Socks" and "Foot Book." Dr. Seuss Week is observed every year the week of the author's birthday, which is March 2. Eakin was supposed to start the week Monday, but because of schools being closed due to a heavy snowfall, the festivities started on Tuesday...

MURFREESBORO -- Shelbyville Central proved there's more to basketball than size and height. To many, Tuesday night's Region 4-AAA tournament semifinal looked like a battle between "David & Goliath," the much smaller Golden Eagles going up against the much taller Siegel Stars...

It's "BracketBucks" time again, and your picks to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament could be worth a flat panel television or a grand prize of $25,000. Last year, a Shelbyville man won a 32-inch flat panel TV from Kincaid Service Company and the Times-Gazette and came within a razor's edge of the nationwide cash prize...

The Times-Gazette will be offering its readers a variety of additional content beginning this Sunday as it unveils it's new Life & Leisure section, to be followed throughout next week with a parade of new content. As it announced last week in a letter to its subscribers, the Times-Gazette will no longer be publishing a Monday edition...

Helen Cleo Claybourne, 77, of Shelbyville, died Tuesday at Heritage Medical Center. Funeral services will be held at noon Saturday at Scott United Methodist Church, where she was a member, with Dr. Robin Kimbrough as eulogist. Burial will follow at Willow Mount Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at the church. Feldhaus Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

EAGLEVILLE -- Every year, high schools graduate seniors and teams lose those players who have been placed in leadership roles. Every year, teams have to refocus and find younger players to fill the vacant spots. For Cascade, this time has begun after a heartbreakingly narrow 52-48 loss to Clarksville Academy Tuesday night in the Region 5-A tournament semifinals...