Stories from Wednesday, March 11, 2009

John Miller Downs, 67, of Murfreesboro, died Monday of cancer. Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at Jernigan Cemetery with Mark Jackson Deml officiating. Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Woodfin Memorial Chapel, Murfreesboro...

The long ball hurt Shelbyville Central as Coffee County hit a pair of fence-clearing home runs in a 7-1 win over the Eaglettes in a District 8-AAA matchup in Manchester Tuesday night. The Eaglettes (0-1, 0-1 8-AAA) were without pitchers Amber Russell and Alyssa Moore, each out with injuries...

Bedford County and the city of Shelbyville will receive a total of nearly $70,000 in federal law enforcement funding, the White House announced Friday. The funding comes from $2 billion in Recovery Act 2009 funding allocations for state and local law enforcement assistance available through the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, which includes over $50.3 million for the state of Tennessee...

Before his trial began Tuesday morning, a former Vanderbilt University professor pleaded guilty to charges that he solicited sex from a Shelbyville detective who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. Following the reading of the indictments against Lason Lain Watai at the start of his trial, the 47-year-old stood and entered a plea of guilty to all charges -- two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of solicitation of a minor and attempted aggravated statutory rape...

I'll admit, I had wanted a DVR for many, many months before I actually got one. I've heard friends and family rave about their TiVos, but I knew that I was planning on switching TV providers and I figured I'd just wait and get a DVR when I made the change...

Harris Middle scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to claim an 11-9 win over host Coffee County Middle in a Central Tennessee Conference matchup Tuesday night. Trailing 9-8 going into the top of the seventh, Alex Cooper and Dax Ward each walked and Jackson McAnally doubled to score Cooper. Reed Emerson had an infield hit that pushed across Ward, then Tommy Canonico had a squeeze bunt that scored McAnally...

Shelbyville Central opened the season off the right way with a 4-0 win at Warren County on Tuesday night. The Golden Eagles (1-0) looked to be in midseason form, scoring three goals in the first half. Joey Jackson, Kensuke Sugino and Kirk Reynolds each scored in the first half with Jackson adding a goal in the second...

State Sen. Jim Tracy says he's pleased that his bill to prohibit cell phone text messaging while driving was passed by the Senate Transportation Committee, which he chairs, and he predicted the bill will see strong support in the General Assembly. "It's all about safety," Tracy told the Times-Gazette on Tuesday afternoon...

Cascade opened up District 9-A action in fine fashion by taking down Van Buren County 10-1 in the first half of a doubleheader in Spencer on Tuesday. Tiffany Gibbs had a quarter of the Lady Champion hits by tripling, doubling and singling. Mary Jett banged out a double and a single. Aimee Taylor and Sara Edwards both tallied two singles...

The Community Viqueens lost an 8-7 heartbreaker to visiting Middle Tennessee Christian in their District 9-A opener Tuesday evening despite coming from behind late. The loss squandered an outstanding pitching performance by Brittany Haynes, who struck out nine batters...

There are aliens among us. I don't mean illegal aliens from countries south of our border, either. I mean real, honest-to-goodness bug-eyed monsters, green-skinned, antenna-totin', straight from the red hills of Mars aliens. Only they're sneaky and they can disguise themselves as human. Sort of...

Bedford County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday night to issue a request for proposals (RFP) from companies interested in a two-year lease of Bedford County Nursing Home. At the end of the two years, both parties would decide what to do next -- which could mean continuing the lease, selling the facility outright to the leaseholder, or returning it to county control...

Shelbyville Central went head -to-head and toe-to-toe with defending District 8-AAA champion and TSSAA state tournament participant Lincoln County in Fayetteville in their season opener Tuesday but returned home with a 2-1 loss despite a valiant effort...

Webb took to the soccer patch at Lagler Field fresh off a season in which they advanced further than any other Bedford County team at the Spring Fling. The problem is that the Feet want to show their critics that a runner-up finish in the Division II-A state tournament was no fluke...

Manuel Lopez Cortez, 30, of Shelbyville, died Tuesday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Funeral mass will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday at St. William Catholic Church. Burial will be in Mexico at a later date. Feldhaus Memorial Chapel is in charge of local arrangements.

MURFREESBORO -- After winning the Class A state championship in 2006, the Forrest Lady Rockets have earned a place in the bracket every year since. However, Wednesday afternoon's result was the same as the three previous -- an opening-round loss. Prohibitive favorite Clarkrange outscored Forrest 32-20 in the second half en route to a 56-39 victory...

April 1 will mark the first anniversary of the day Wartrace got the bad news about its unacceptable water quality, and the town's elected officials have learned a lot since then. One facet of the "boil" emergency was disturbing to Mayor Don Gallagher...