Stories from Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Last week, in a column about MagicJack, I mentioned a service called Skype, which lets users place calls over the Internet. Skype is actually the only form of VOIP I've ever used at home, but I don't use it that often, and I apparently wasn't as up-to-date as I needed to be about some of its capabilities. The day after the column ran, I heard from a PR spokesman for Skype, Aziza Johnson, with some information that I need to pass along by way of followup...

I got windshield wipers for Mother's Day. Normally, this kind of announcement precedes a 20-minute rant about why divorces happen, but not this time. When I got into the van, ready to drive through the rain in Nashville at night, and I could suddenly, miraculously see where I was going, I knew exactly what the present meant...

Drug-releated charges were placed against two brothers following a traffic stop Saturday night on Green Lane, police said. A bag containing pot was found in a seat where Joseph Albert Vincent, 20, King Arthur Trailer Court, had been sitting and more marijuana was found under the seat, according to police. Vincent told police the 2.29 grams were his and he had stuffed it under the seat. He was charged with possession of a schedule VI drug and posted $1,500 bond, authorities said...

Speeders on West Bridge Street in Wartrace, consider this fair warning. The town is about to install speed bumps. "There's a 'Children at Play' sign there, but people are ignoring it," said Wartrace resident Kelly Thompson, who approached the board of mayor and aldermen at the May meeting Monday night...

Springtime is upon us and, in addition to grilling out, playing outside and working on the yard, that means one thing: garden tours. The Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce's Beautification Committee has scheduled its annual garden tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 6...

County Mayor Eugene Ray, during his quarterly report at Tuesday's meeting of Bedford County Board of Commissioners, said the county needs to continue tightening its belt as it heads into the budgeting process for a new fiscal year. "We've got a serious problem in the county," he said. "Our expense exceeds our revenue."...

MANCHESTER -- A four-run fourth inning proved to be the difference as Harris Middle fell 6-2 to Franklin County North in the Central Tennessee Conference Tournament Tuesday night at Coffee County High School. North rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fourth to break over a 2-2 game...

Core samples will soon be taken from North Main Street as soon as Friday to determine the cause and extent of the damage that has resulted from the collapse of one of Shelbyville's massive underground storm water flumes. On Tuesday, the city council met in an emergency meeting and approved entering into an agreement with Contech Construction Products, Inc., and Clanton Excavation to repair the damaged flume...

Liberty Middle and Community Junior High entertained a large crowd with a combined 36 hits and 28 runs in a three-hour, 15-minute marathon Tuesday night in the second round of Mid-South Conference tournament play. Community won the stats contest with a 20-8 victory to advance in the winners' bracket against Forrest Middle on Thursday night...